| What's happening, when and
why? |
News, trade shows, awards, interesting projects - it is all
here.
Our Elektra-OJ UCCG
programmable thermostat series awarded US Government 'ENERGY STAR'
recognition!
FLOOR HEATING IS
ENERGY EFFICIENT!
In the News: 
Are you in general
construction and start to worry? Specialize! Consider installation of radiant
floor heating.
The U.S. Department of Energy Solar
Decathlon is a program where 20 collegiate teams are challenged
to design and build cost-effective and energy-efficient solar operated houses.
The Solar Decathlon started in 2002 and occurs biennially.
The purpose of the Solar Decathlon is to educate the public on
practical, affordable and sustainable housing and energy solutions and to
help prepare participating students enter clean energy workforces. It also
educates on cost saving opportunities, clean energy products and energy
efficient construction.
VA Tech recently came in first place in the Solar Decathlon
Europe with their 2009 submission in D.C. Lumenhuas. Lumenhuas is a
zero energy home that is powered completely by the sun and can operate self
sufficiently as well as respond to environmental changes
automatically.
The next Solar Decathlon will take place in the fall 2011 on
the National Mall in Washington, DC. It is open to the public free of
charge and visitors are able to tour the houses.
Detroit unveils energy efficient
building
The US city of Detroit has unveiled what is one of
the state's most energy efficient buildings, featuring much of the latest in
energy efficient design and technology.
The building features a white
membrane roof that will reflect summer sun energy, giving a smaller interior
cooling system, and waterless urinals that are expected to save 34,000 gallons
of water a year.
It also features refurbished conference chairs,
representing savings of $11,900 over the cost of buying new ones.
Heating
and cooling devices are automated, able to raise or lower indoor temperatures
with floor-based radiant heating systems.
The innovations in the building
represented significant savings, driving down the cost of the construction by an
estimated 40 per cent.
"Having a green building doesn't necessarily cost
more than a traditional building, it just means you have to be more innovative,"
Murray D Wikol, the owner of the complex, told the Detroit News.
Other
energy saving buildings in the Detroit area include a Ford centre which features
a 10.4 acre "living roof" with a sedum ground cover that absorbs up to four
million gallons of rainfall a year.
Developers claim that demand for
energy saving products and more innovative practices is steadily growing, a
trend which they predict will eventually drive down costs. Easy to install,
super energy efficient radiant floor heating is one example of such
products.
Radiant Heating
Radiant heating systems involve supplying heat directly
to the floor or to panels in the wall or ceiling of a house. The systems depend
largely on radiant heat transfer: the delivery of heat directly from the hot
surface to the people and objects in the room via the radiation of heat, which
is also called infrared radiation. Radiant heating is the
effect you feel when you can feel the warmth of a hot stovetop element from
across the room. When radiant heating is located in the floor, it is often
called radiant floor heating or simply floor heating.
Radiant heating has a number of advantages: it is more
efficient than baseboard heating and usually more efficient than forced-air
heating because no energy is lost through ducts. The lack of moving air can also
be advantageous to people with severe allergies. Hydronic (liquid-based) systems
use little electricity, a benefit for homes off the power grid or in areas with
high electricity prices. The hydronic systems can also be heated with a wide
variety of energy sources, including standard gas- or oil-fired boilers,
wood-fired boilers, solar water heaters, or some combination of these heat
sources.
Despite their name, radiant floor heating systems also
depend heavily on convection, the natural circulation of heat within a room,
caused by heat rising from the floor. Radiant floor heating systems are
significantly different than the radiant panels used in walls and ceilings. For
this reason, the following sections discuss radiant floor heat and radiant
panels separately.
Radiant Floor Heat & Floor Coverings
Ceramic tile is the most common and effective floor
covering for radiant floor heating, as it conducts heat well from the floor and
adds thermal storage because of its high heat capacity. Common floor coverings
like vinyl and linoleum sheet tiles, carpeting, or wood can also technically be
used, but any covering that helps to insulate the floor from the room will
decrease the efficiency of the system.
Wood flooring should be laminated wood flooring instead
of solid wood. This reduces the possibility of the wood shrinking and cracking
from the drying effects of the heat as well as the possibility of
overheating.
| ELEKTRA FLOOR HEATING MATS FEATURED ON DIY
TV |
Health-Friendly Radiant Heating episode
first aired Aug 18.
|
THE HEATING SEASON IS ALMOST OVER.
PLAN FOR THE NEW ONE BUT THE NEXT WINTER MIGHT NOT BE SO MILD.
|
- We are 5! Exciting FIVE YEARS OLD! THANKS TO YOU, OUR
CUSTOMERS!
- We are growing, we are happy at our new, spacious office location
in Hazlet, NJ - just South of NYC and Staten Island, NY.
Please keep us in mind especially if the winter gets tough!
This picture is the property of Tyco International with the
heating system shown by Tyco/Raychem. Copywright Tyco International.
We do have heating cables for driveways,
steps and walkways ready for immediate shipping, such as 400 ft. long,
230-240V, 3500 Watts cable for 70-100 sq.ft. coverage! We offer Elektra and
Raycham/Tyco cables.
NYC,
International Tile and Stone Show
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