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December 16, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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With the high cost of heating fuels today, many
homeowners are wondering what other heating
options there are out there. Quite simply put,
radiant
heaters are the most efficient form of heat
available in today’s market.
Significantly less operating time is required to attain
and maintain the desired warmth compared to
furnaces and other, traditional methods of
heating, which keeps operational costs to a minimum.
High efficiency boilers or
electric radiant floor systems makes radiant
heat one of your most efficient ways to heat your
home. Combined with a well-insulated home these
systems can quickly warm your home and then shut
down or wait idle for long periods of time before being
called upon by the thermostat to operate.
More than ever before,
homebuilders, househunters, and home renovators
alike are looking for energy-efficient heating options
for houses. We say they need look no further
than radiant
heaters for their ideal home heating solution.
Radiant Heaters Tip: It might take a
little effort, but being more environmentally
friendly doesn’t have to involve major
renovations. Many people waste a lot of energy by not
sealing cracks, doors and windows. Checking to
make sure a home’s insulation is in good
shape and replacing it if it’s not is another
good surefire way to stop, prevent, and reverse
energy waste.
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December 25, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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As demands for
lower energy costs increase, homebuilders, househunters,
and home renovators alike are looking for energy-efficient
heating options for houses. We say they need
look no further than radiant
heaters for their ideal home heating solution.
In a nutshell, radiant
heating is among the most efficient forms of heat
available in today’s market. Significantly less
operating time is required to attain and maintain the
desired warmth compared to furnaces and other,
traditional methods of heating, which keeps operational
costs to a minimum.
High efficiency boilers or electric radiant
floor systems makes radiant heat one of your most
efficient ways to heat your home. Combined with a
well-insulated home, these radiant heater systems can
quickly warm your home and then shut down or wait idle
for long periods of time before being called upon by
the thermostat to operate.
Radiant Heaters
Tip: Being more environmentally friendly
doesn’t have to involve major renovations. Many
people waste a lot of energy by not sealing cracks, doors
and windows. Checking to make sure a home’s
insulation is in good shape and replacing it if
it’s not is another good surefire way to stop,
prevent, and reverse energy waste.
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December 20, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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Not traditionally
used in heating homes, flat panel radiant
heaters are used to heat objects via radiant heat
transfer. These radiant heaters have traditionally
been used in a variety of industries and applications,
such as space heating, drying, curing, and water
evaporation. More recently, these heating systems are also
gaining popularity in home heating applications as well.
Radiant
heaters use different types of emitter surfaces. Choices
include: quartz, high-temperature glass, stainless
steel, and ceramic tiles. These are all materials that
are easily and efficiently used in home applications
such as flooring, countertops, and towel racks. Because
these items are easily turned into emitter surfaces for
radiant heat, they can easily and beautifully be
incorporated into home heating applications such as
heated floors, walls, and towel racks.
To find out about radiant heaters for your home,
check with the folks at warmzone.com. They have a
complete product catalog of radiant heating solutions
that can accommodate almost any application or budget.
Radiant Heaters Tip: radiant heaters a great way
to efficiently heat a home, while maximizing your
home’s beauty, but they are very cost effective
and easy to install.
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December 26, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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If you’ve
been researching home
heating systems, chances are your head is
spinning right about now. It’s no wonder!
The number of types of radiant heaters available for
residences or businesses could make anyone dizzy in no time
at all. There’s really a lot of selection for
homeowners to choose from. Today we’ll discuss
the electric cable heating system kind of radiant
heaters. Electric cable heating systems are gaining
popularity in as radiant heaters and are ideal for
heating smaller areas (10-300 square feet) like
bathrooms, kitchens, and sun rooms. These systems are
comprised of a thermostat and a heating cable. On some
systems, the cable is be shipped as a large spool of
cable. These systems are oftentimes less expensive,
and give you the ability to space the cable how you want
and customize a layout that will heat every square inch of
your floor. Other systems have the cable attached to a
plastic mesh or tape to create a mat to maintain its
proper spacing.
Every available cable system is equally
effective, so when determining which radiant heater
system to purchase, you should look at the warranty of
the product, along with the ease of installation. Some
cables must be embedded in a separate layer of
concrete or mortar, whereas other systems can simply
be installed in the thinset.
Radiant Heaters Tip: When heating smaller
areas with a radiant heater, it is next to impossible
to beat the simplicity and price of an electric cable
heating system.
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October 26, 2008 00:10 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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Winter weather is on the way. Start thinking
about heating
system solutions for the coming winter months or
spend the season shivering and wishing
you’d planned ahead. Leaving decisions like this
to the last moment (for example, when your furnace up
and dies in the middle of a brutal
Nor’easter) causes unnecessary stress, expense,
and, most obviously, a freezing cold house.
Whether you are building a new home from the
ground up, preparing to replace your heating
systems are using electricity instead of natural gas
or heating oil. Not only does this cut down on
heating costs, but it is also more efficient and
eco-friendly as well. Radiant heating
systems are quickly replacing traditional furnaces.
Heating Systems Tip: Choosing the best
heating
systems for a new home or to add supplemental heat
to a cold spot in your home now takes a little
homework. The radiant consultants and designers
at Warmzone have been trained in all of the latest
heating systems to properly assess your project
and prescribe a system that will add value to
your home within your budget.
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December 27, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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Time to treat yourself! Whether you’re
building a new home, or updating your current
home, you owe it to yourself to check out the comfort
that radiant heat has to offer. Now is the
perfect time to look into your heating options.
Radiant
heaters can be used in a number of applications,
including some that might surprise
you!Among those spots that can use
radiant heaters are tiled areas, hardwood flooring,
carpeted areas, and even cement floors.
Not only is radiant heating is
one of the most comfortable ways to heat your
home, but radiant
heaters also offer a diversity of applications.
We’d be willing to bet that after that
first winter with the radiant heaters in place, you
may find yourself wondering how you ever got along
without them in the past.
What’s interesting here
is that, rather than warming the air, radiant
heaters are a type of heater that warms objects.
Radiant heat uses objects, such as the floor, to
heat a home. The air in the room is warmed when
it comes into contact with the warmed objects. Heat loss
is reduced and the radiant heat remains in the
lower part of the room, warmer near feet level
and slightly less so at head level, creating the
perfect climate for comfort.
Radiant Heaters Tip:
Are you looking for efficient,
comfortable heat for your home? We think that radiant
heating could be just the solution you’ve
been looking for.
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December 11, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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Have you ever
gone on a ski vacation for the weekend and stayed at a
little ski lodge? A lot of the times, they’ll have a
huge fireplace in the main room with smaller bedrooms
up in the loft area or second-story. But the problem
is that when you’re in the main room with the roaring
fire, you’re often overwhelmed by the heat and
retreat to the bedroom, where it’s far
chillier. You see, many vacation or weekend homes
weren’t built with air conditioning ducts with
which to deliver the heat to the different rooms of
the house. However, there is a solution to adding
heating to homes that have not been built for traditional
forced air systems: radiant heaters.
As opposed to warm air systems (such as a forced
air unit heaters), radiant heaters deliver the source
of heat to the floor level, not the ceiling. Radiant
heaters or radiant energy is the oldest form of heating
used to provide comfort and is the basis for all
heating systems.
Additionally, radiant heaters also offer more
comfort than forced air heating by heating the
atmosphere from the ground up. Since heat rises, the
heat will be more evenly distributed, providing a much more
comfortable atmosphere.
Radiant Heaters Tip: Radiant energy is
totally pure radiation and is absorbed by an object
without physical contact with the heat source or by
heating the surrounding air, as is the case with
convective, forced air systems.
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December 22, 2008 00:12 AM  BY STACEY BARRUS
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The number of types of radiant
heaters available for residences or businesses is
awfully mind-boggling. There’s really a
lot of selection for homeowners to choose from.
Today we’ll discuss the electric cable heating
system kind of radiant heaters.
Electric cable heating systems
are gaining popularity in as radiant
heaters and are ideal for heating smaller areas
(10-300 square feet) like bathrooms, kitchens,
and sun rooms. These systems are comprised of a
thermostat and a heating cable. On some systems, the
cable will be shipped to you as a large spool of cable.
These systems are oftentimes less expensive, and
give you the ability to space the cable how you
want and customize a layout that will heat every square
inch of your floor. Other systems have the cable
attached to a plastic mesh or tape to create a
mat to maintain its proper spacing.
Every available cable system
is equally effective, so when determining which
radiant
heater system to purchase, you should look at the
warranty of the product, along with the ease of
installation. Some cables must be embedded in a
separate layer of concrete or mortar, whereas other
systems can simply be installed in the thinset.
Radiant Heaters Tip: When heating
smaller areas with a radiant
heater, it is nearly impossible to beat the
simplicity and price of an electric cable
heating system.
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August 07, 2007 00:08 AM  BY WARMZONE
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Upon hearing the words,
“What can Brown do for You? ®”
an immediate vision comes to mind of a large, brown
delivery truck with the name UPS emblazoned on
each side. United Parcel Service has done an
incredible job to bring their name to the forefront in
the package-delivery market. The same might
be said regarding “The Golden Arches
®,” McDonald’s famous advertising
ploy. Most highly-successful businesses are
easily recognized by a catchy slogan or an
eye-catching symbol.
We at Warmzone want to be
known in the radiant heat arena as the company
that will do everything possible to “just
make sense” of what might be a confusing array of
possibilities for consumers who are seeking
information on alternative heating sources.
Why are such vast
numbers seeking an alternative radiant heating source
?
Questar Gas Company, included
the following message with January’s fuel
bill mailing: “As you have seen,
natural gas bills this winter are significantly higher
than last year. Even with all the news about
higher natural gas prices, reality doesn’t
set in until your bill is opened.” Unless
customers have been oblivious to drastic increases
in fuel costs over the past two months, this was
somewhat of an understatement. More than just
reality has set in upon consumers! Caught
somewhere in the middle of paying a huge fuel bill
and taking a sick child to see a doctor, people
are taking a stand against such increases.
President Bush has encouraged
our nation to look for alternative sources as we
have become “addicted to oil.” In
his state of the union address on January 31, 2006 he
announced the Advanced Energy Initiative, a 22%
increase in clean-energy research at the
Department of Energy, “to push for breakthroughs
in two vital areas. To change how we power our
homes and offices, we will invest more in
zero-emission coal-fired plants, revolutionary solar and
wind technologies, and clean, safe nuclear
energy.” Quoting once more from the
Questar message: “As you can see, prices on the
open market are volatile and have increased to
record highs this year both nationally and locally.”
Volatile, skyrocketing,
record high fuel costs provide reasons aplenty for
so many people to turn to Warmzone.com for
guidance in finding the best-possible radiant heat
system for their needs. Consumers are
finding themselves backed into a corner and are
looking for an efficient, comfortable alternative.
That just makes sense!
With our commitment to
researching the best options for radiant heat and
assessing each job individually, our research and
design team is prepared to design each project with the
ideal system to meet the needs of our customers at the
best available prices.
Warmzone is a different kind
of company. Unlike a manufacturer, we do not
favor one system over another. We
acknowledge the fact that there are dozens of brands
and types of radiant systems that offer unique
qualities, but no one system is the answer for
every project. We take great interest in
your project goals, requirements and budget and then
provide you with a quote for the best system
available to complete your project. We may
suggest using an electric, hydronic or a combination of
these technologies. There are clear
advantages and disadvantages to each system and
technology. We will explain why we prefer one
system over another for your particular
project. At Warmzone.com, you can expect
simple, honest explanations for our suggestions to you.
Customer service is at the
top of our priority list. As with
“Brown” or the “Golden
Arches,” we would be nothing without you,
the consumer. We are committed to helping
people install the latest in innovative radiant heat
systems by providing:
1. High quality materials
2. Installation packages that simplify the
work.
3. Design assistance
4. Installation advice and support.
5. The latest ideas in energy efficiency and
alternative energy. We are not satisfied
until you are satisfied. That, of course,
makes perfect sense!
Radiant heat systems are
constantly evolving – which can be a
challenge when it comes to deciding which is the
best system for your project. You can be assured
that Warmzone will consider every system and then
offer you the best technology for your project.
Most of the systems we design
and sell can easily be installed by any plumbing
and heating professional or general
contractor. But if you cannot find either
professional in your area, our products can be
installed by any reasonably-competent
handyman. Custom design and engineering packages
are also available to assure that you are getting
off on the right foot with your heating
investment. These plans take the guess work out of the
installation and become a road map for your system
for future reference or to pass on to the next
home owner.
We welcome your inquiries and
are prepared to help you with your radiant heat
decisions. Warmzone is the only
company matching individual heating projects to
solutions that make sense among the wide variety
of available choices. We’re not
“brown,” nor are we “gold,”
but we are leading out to assure customers make
the right choice in the ever-increasing radiant
heating market.
Visit us online at www.warmzone.com or
speak with one of our representatives by calling
us directly at 1.888.488.WARM
©
2006 Warmzone Media. “What Can Brown Do for
You?” is a registered trademark of United
Parcel Service of America, Inc. “The Golden
Arches” is a registered trademark of
McDonald's Corporation. Additional copyrights and
trademarks are held by their respective owners.
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February 01, 2010 00:02 AM  BY WARMZONE
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Radiant Floor Heat vs. Baseboard Heating
The Battle
of the Home Heating Titans:
For years
baseboard heating has been the home heating system of
choice for many consumers. Relatively cheap and
easy to install, baseboard heating systems were
installed in new homes in the 70s, and without
knowing their other options, consumers have stuck with
it—until now.
Radiant
floor heating
is quickly trumping baseboard heating as the
titan of the home heating market. With its
superior heating capabilities and maintenance-free
logistics, radiant floor heating is persuading
consumers everywhere to make the switch from
baseboard heating to radiant heating.
By taking a
look at the pros and cons of each system,
you’ll quickly see that saying goodbye to
baseboard heating is one of the best
decisions you’ll make as a homeowner.
Weighing the
Differences
While both
baseboard heating systems and electric
radiant floor heating systems use similar
concepts, they are certainly not created equal.
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Radiant floor heating system installed
under hardwood floor.
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Baseboard heater installed on
hardwood floor.
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Efficiency: Baseboard heaters aren’t
exactly known for their efficiency. Heating a
whole room with a baseboard heater can take quite
a while, so you have to plan ahead if you want the room
to be warm when you’re home. Because they
take so long to heat up, baseboard heaters can
quickly rack up your electricity bill.
Because electric
heated floors heat the floor and the
objects around it, it takes half the time to heat
up a room. Radiant floor heating is 100 percent
effective, even at 50 percent capacity. Additionally,
100 percent of energy consumed by your radiant
heating system is used to heat the room.
Installation: Baseboard heaters are
relatively easy to install, but you have to waste a
large amount of wall space to do it. What’s
more, baseboard heaters are quite unsightly and
noisy, and they must be strategically placed as to not
conflict with furniture placement.
While under
floor heating systems require a
little more elbow grease to install, it’s not
difficult. Any motivated do-it-yourselfer can
install heated floors. Heat cable is also available,
pre-woven and spaced in mats to facilitate quick and
easy installation. And once installed, radiant
heated floors are out of sight, operate
silently, and require no wall space, so you don’t
have to worry about an unsightly heater sticking
out of your wall. After all, what’s a warm room
if it’s an ugly room?
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ComfortTile radiant floor heating cable
pre-spaced and woven into mat for easy
installation. |
Maintenance: Baseboard heaters use heat coils
that need to be frequently vacuumed. Dust on the coils
reduces the effectiveness and efficiency of the
heater, taxing your heating bill and reducing the
lifespan of the system in general. What’s more, a
dirty heater makes your house smell like burnt
dust—not the most pleasant smell in the
morning.
Radiant
heated floors require absolutely no
maintenance. It’s as simple as that.
There are no moving parts or coils to clean, and with
all the high-quality heat
cable and thermostat,
you can count on your floors to provide warmth for
years to come.
Safety: Consumers with baseboard heating
systems must take great care to keep furniture and other
objects away from the heater. This not only
interferes with design decisions, but also
presents a serious safety hazard. A home in Colorado was
destroyed after two suitcases leaning against a
baseboard heater ignited, causing $50,000 in
damages.
Radiant floor
heating is guaranteed to be safe. The heating cable used
is safely insulated and uses no high voltage, no
combustible gases, and doesn’t create any
hot surfaces. Warmzone radiant floor heating systems
also feature a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI).
The GFCI is a fast-acting circuit breaker designed
to shut off electric power in the event of a
ground-fault within as little as 1/40 of a second,
further ensuring safe operation. When it comes to
efficiency, effectiveness and safety,
electric radiant heated floors can't be
beat.
continued (Part II)
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Electric Heated Driveways vs. Hydronic Heating Systems
'Ride the Current' or 'Go With the Flow'?
If you've
finally put down the shovel and decided to purchase a heated
driveway system, will you be going
hydronic or electric? If you're a newcomer to the
concept of driveway heating, hydronic and electric
are both popular, and extremely viable forms of
driveway heat, and Warmzone has the expertise, and
experience, to help determine which is best for
you. What these systems share in
common—four key components you should be familiar
with before purchasing a heated driveway system:
Of the components mentioned above, the
heating element and the control source distinguish
hydronic heated driveway systems from electric heated
driveway systems.
Hydronic Heated Driveway Systems: Going with the Flow
The heating
element for a hydronic snow melting system, as you
may have guessed, involves water. Specifically,
hydronic heated driveways use what is known as
closed-loop tubing to heat the surface of the driveway.
The tubing is generally made of a flexible (and quite
durable) polymer or synthetic rubber to circulate
a mixture of hot water and propylene glycol
(antifreeze). The fluid is warmed to temperatures
between 140 to 180 degrees F to deliver enough
heat for snow melting.
A water
heater or a boiler is the chief source of heat for a
hydronic driveway heating system, which can be
powered by any energy source that satisfies the
btu requirements, including natural gas, electricity,
oil, wood, or even solar collectors. A circulating
pump and supply and return manifolds, installed in
an easily accessible location, transfer the water
between the heat source and tubing.
Electric Heated Driveway Systems: Riding the Current
Unlike
hydronic systems, electric
heated driveway systems use hot wires to
heat paved surfaces. These wires are surrounded by
layers of insulation, copper grounding braid and a
protective outer layer of PVC or polyolefin to form a
flexible cable about ⅛ to ¼ inch in
diameter. What’s great about the heat
cables is the flexibility of the application.
Cable is available on spools as well as pre-spaced and
woven into mats, and can be customized (cut) to
suit virtually any type of layout, including
driveways, common walkways and sidewalks.
After being
triggered by the snow
sensor, the control
unit then powers the heat cable to warm the
driveway. To reduce the power demands (and
operating costs), you can install cables in just the
tire tracks of a driveway rather than the entire
area. Warmzone offers several options and provides
complete system
design services to ensure that you receive
the best system layout and products
for your project.
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