There is something so wonderful about warm floors on your bare feet in the midst of a New England winter storm! Today we are in a world of changing attitudes, and great thought is put into saving our natural resources and being responsible with our world. Radiant heat allows for clean, healthier, quiet, renewable energy efficiency without sacrificing comfort.

Radiant heat comes with many benefits: First off, it is the most efficient heat system that exists; with less operating time, heat is evenly distributed, lower maintenance, add on to any heat/hot water system, no dangerous emissions are produced and up to 99% efficient. Costs run around $0.32 to $2.00/ft and up.

Great for people with allergies: Most heat systems dry and circulate the air you breathe, while radiant systems do not. The air you breathe is healthier, cleaner and not dried out. There are no circulating irritants like; dust, pollen, bacteria or allergens. There are also no radiators or vents that breed mold or other irritants.

Have a zone in each room affordably: With each floor or space, you have thermostat control and adjust the temperature level based on use. There is no longer a need to heat the entire house or building unnecessarily.

Hydronic heating was first used by the Romans: Believe it or not, the technology has been around for centuries. Manufacturers and installers can be found with decades of experience.

Do-it-yourselfers: Installation can be as easy as rolling out a mat, with new revolutionary technology, a plumber is no longer needed. In the past you needed to have copper pipes, tubing or a complicated, intricate set of webbing inset into or under a floor.

Get free heat by using Solar thermal collector panels to heat with electricity, water and/or a solution of water/glycol, giving you energy independence, saving money on fuel, helping the environment and adding value to your home. Less expensive than a radiator or duct system, use for your whole home or add supplemental solar to your existing system.

There are radiant systems that use air or electric voltage mats; those are not as efficient as the “hydronic” or fluid medium circulating the heat, but, still more efficient than hot air/radiator systems. Two basic types exist; “wet installations” -tubes are sandwiched between subfloors or inset in concrete, thinset or another medium and “dry installations” -where normally tubing or a mat runs in an air space beneath the floor. This option is faster and less expensive.

Some manufacturers provide flooring with radiant built in and others make sub-floors with tubing grooves and aluminum heat diffuser plates built in. These companies claim that this is considerably less expensive to install than the traditional, reacts faster to temperature changes and use half as much tubing since the heat transfer is greatly improved over more traditional dry or wet floors.

A great advantage is you can utilize them everywhere - in walls, as well as, in floors, under stone, tile, carpet, wood and all of these are great partners, but, ceramic and some stones will store the heat longer, therefore, extending your value.

I guess it is time you got started… Don’t forget to factor in your state and federal tax credits and other rebates for going green!