Because of my job, I’ve been required to move to around the northeastern part of the country.
I’ve rented houses all along the northern border, where the winter weather is harshly severe. I am however, accustomed to temperatures well below zero, dangerously cold wind chill and big accumulations of annual snowfall! Moving around has given me the opportunity to experience all different types of heaters, but while the majority of homes are outfitted with a forced air furnace, I’ve also leased sites with geothermal heat pumps, high-velocity systems and boilers. In my opinion, there is no comparison to a boiler heater. A boiler provides the choice of radiators, baseboard furnaces or radiant floor heating, and I’ve tried all of them, and the best is radiant floors, simply nothing can compete with the luxury, cost-savings and overall benefits, however for one thing, the equipment is hidden beneath the floors. There’s nothing to detract from the aesthetics of the home. There’s no need to arrange furniture around supply and return vents, plus, the heat is spread evenly from corner to corner with no cold spots or drafts. The system runs silently, won’t dry out the air and the heat rises slowly. I’ve found that radiant heated flooring allows a significantly lower thermostat setting. This type of heating also accommodates zone control for further cost savings! Each room can be set to an independent temperature and there’s no reason to heat unoccupied rooms, getting up in the morning and setting my bare feet on a warm floor is a pleasure. When I finally get around to building my dream home, I will most definitely install hydronic radiant flooring in every room.