Install a Radiant Roof Heating System and Save!

If you’re contemplating a new roof this summer, it’s a great time to invest in radiant roof heating . Sure, installing a new roof, you say, is costly enough; however, the initial expense of installing a heated roof will save you in the end. By eliminating ice buildup, ice dams and icicles, radiant roof heating protects your home from loose shingles, sagging gutters, damage from rakes and structural damage.

Save time. Radiant heated roofs are fully automated. This seamless operation sure beats a roof rake. Besides having to remember to use a rake, I may not be able to easily reach certain areas, and I may, in my zealous quest to be a proactive, responsible homeowner, also cause damage to the roof. Not to mention the muscle soreness I will undoubtedly experience with prolonged overhead raking, and more importantly, the time I’ll spend on yet another arduous home-related chore.

Save money. Of course, with falling property values, improvements like heated roof systems are a nice way to boost your equity and protect your home from structural damage you can’t see, saving you money in costly repairs. Radiant heated roofs eliminate prolonged ice damming that can cause moisture to seep through roofing materials into roof decking before finding its way inside, damaging ceilings, walls and floors and resulting in mold growth.

Roof heating is efficient. It costs approximately 35 cents per continuous hour of operation. And roof heating systems run on automatic sensors designed to detect precipitation and temperature, responding to climate changes and activating only as needed. So a radiant heated roof saves you time and money, efficiently. With so many incentives, there’s no better time to include a radiant heat system in your roof installation!

The number one way to show you really haven’t forgotten about the coolest organs on your body: your feet.

Anyone with heated floors knows—nothing makes your feet happier than stepping onto a perfectly warmed floor. And likewise, anyone sans heated floors knows—nothing makes your feet angrier than stepping onto a floor of icy daggers. It may seem like a minor pleasantry, but in reality, floor heating is God’s little gift to your feet, and honestly, you owe it to them. That’s right—owe.

Those little extremities so easily taken for granted do a lot more for you than you realize. According to health24.com, the average person walks about 99,419 miles in their lifetime. That’s enough to roam the earth 4 times. What’s more, each step you take can put up to 4 times your body weight through your feet, which quickly adds up to a grand total of 500 tons a day. With those little facts in mind, does radiant floor heating still sound like a frivolous pleasantry? How about more like a common courtesy?

Radiant floor heat is the latest, greatest, and greenest way to give back to your feet. With their ability to single-handedly warm a room evenly within minutes, radiant floor heating systems are quickly taking the place of pedicures as the foot R&R of choice.

Unlike conventional heating systems, radiant floor heating systems heat from the floor to the ceiling, warming up objects in the room instead of the air. This is great news for your feet, which have more nerve endings per square centimeter than any other part of the body.

With all that your feet do for you, it just makes sense to show a little love and install heated floors in your home. They’re easy to install, easy on the pocketbook, and best of all—easy for your feet to love.

Easy Driveway Snow Removal

Ever wondered why snow seems to stick on some driveways and not others? Maybe the south driveways stay a little warmer due do sun radiating across the surface, but you've probably noticed that there are some driveways on the north facing side of the street that don’t have any snow on them at all. Chances are fairly good that the well-informed occupants of that house have installed a radiant driveway snow melting system.

Just as radiant floor heating systems warm the surface of floors, snow melting systems radiate warmth under the surface of the driveway, resulting in a very clean, fully automated snow removal system. If you haven’t heard much about these radiant snowmelt systems, here’s a brief description.

When the driveway is being formed, radiant heat cable is installed and then the finish surface is applied over that. ClearZone cable is a common heat cable mat system which has proven itself over the years to be among the best – if not THE best – radiant heat cable on the market. It is durable enough that fresh concrete or asphalt can be placed directly over the cable. Radiant heat can also be applied under brick and stone pavers.

In addition to the grid of heat cable embedded in the driveway, an activation device (snow sensor) is also installed, either in the surface of the driveway or mounted in a location where it will detect weather conditions. (These are the components that replace your snow shovel and snow plow or salt.)

When conditions are right for snow, the system is activated, applying current to the heat cable that radiates heat throughout the driveway surface. Snow removal has never been so easy. This can be an especially big plus for driveways with a fairly steep incline. Radiant snow melting systems can also be applied to existing asphalt driveways. Make life easy for yourself and install one before the next winter hits. You will be so glad you did.

What Are the Environmental Benefits of a Heated Driveway?

Have you ever heard it said that if you simply love someone they will love you back? Could the same be true of our beloved Mother Earth? If we show her just a smidge more kindness and tender loving care, will she in turn love us back? The news and media is all a Twitter (literally) about the lasting effects we are having on our planet. Our resources are depleting, our landfills are, well, filling and we are being bombarded with messages of going “green.” Believe it or not installing an electric heated driveway is one of those ways to “go green.”

A snow melting system has the brain-power to automatically detect snow, so it only uses energy when needed. Utilizing this renewable energy to heat your driveway cuts down on unnecessary power use and becomes a smart and eco-friendly choice. By electrically heating your driveway, you also eliminate the need for salt or harsh chemicals that harm the environment.

Mother Earth may be under the weather but small and simple choices in our lives and homes can make a big impact on her health. The smart part of driveway heating is that it not only shows Mama Earth the love she so desperately needs, but it also shows your wallet a little love as it cuts down on energy and increases the value of your home.

Warm Tile Floors - The Very Definition of Comfort

If you look up “ultimate comfort” in the dictionary, there may be a mention of radiant heated tile floors. Well, there would be if I had any influence with Mr. Webster. Hopefully you have had the experience of walking on a heated floor. Better yet, hopefully you have had the experience of living in a home with a heated tile floor. It's a comfort that just can't be beat.

Radiant heated floors utilize a wire grid that is installed either in a concrete slab or placed in thin set on top of the slab, directly under the tile. A sensor in the floor is wired to a programmable thermostat, so you can maintain the desired temperature or activate the system only when you want. If you have a raised wood subfloor, the radiant heat cable is installed on the top of that and the finish surface is then installed over it. Tile is a common surface for radiant heated floors. Not only is tile attractive, it has a low “R” value, which means it won’t insulate you from the heated floor. This equates to efficiency. And nowadays, energy-efficiency is paramount.

One of the other big advantages of a heated floor is that it enables you to easily adjust the level of heat for each room. Want one room a little warmer than another? It’s easily accomplished with this set up. With a forced air system it’s not so easy.

Many tout the potential of increased efficiency using a heated tile floor system. That’s cool – or warm I should say – but I can’t stress enough the added comfort this form of heat will offer. You’ll lose track of your slippers. If your feet are warm you will be warm all over. Trust me, I'm a tile setter and I've installed a heated tile floor in my home. I haven't worn a pair of slippers since!