Tomorrow's 'Green' Home Today With Hydronic Heating
The home of the future is green -- green for environmental friendliness and green for energy efficiency. As a way to achieve tomorrow's green home, today's consumers are increasingly turning to one of America's most traditional types of home heating. It is hydronic heating, which is heating with hot water as the heat transfer medium. With hydronic heating, hot water is circulated from a centrally located boiler through baseboards, radiators, or extremely durable tubing embedded in floors, walls, ceilings, sidewalks, and driveways.
Hydronic heating is the essence of "green heating" because the heating appliances boast some of the highest heating appliance efficiency ratings available to homeowners, both in terms of fuel usage and heat distribution. It is highly efficient because water absorbs heat from the flame so well and because hot water retains and emits heat for a long time, even after the boiler shuts down. In addition, only one burner is needed to provide both home heating and water heating, therefore there is only one carbon footprint. Furthermore, it is easy to set up numerous heating zones in a house, allowing the homeowner to economically use heating energy only where and when it is needed. Even greater savings can be achieved by using today's advanced energy efficient pumps to move water through the home.
Other recent advances in hydronic heating technology include condensing boilers that may be vented through the wall and have modulating burners. Condensing boilers are up to 98 percent efficient and have ENERGYSTAR® ratings that qualify for new energy-efficiency tax credits. These highly efficient systems allow for a tax credit of 30 percent of the total cost of the product plus installation, up to a $1,500 maximum cap per homeowner for all improvements made in 2009-2010, in addition to available state and local incentives.
Hydronic units are quiet and do not produce drafts, so they do not scatter dust, mites, or other allergenic materials throughout the house. Because hydronic hygienic heating is gentle, thorough, and even, there are no hot or cold spots in the room. These attributes can have the effect of saving energy when the system doesn't have to "work overtime" to overcome these home deficiencies.
In addition to room heating, other hydronic applications include domestic hot water heating, kick space heating, swimming pool and hot tub heating, and bathroom towel rack warming. Many homes also use hydronic snow and ice melting for sidewalks and driveways, an important safety factor that helps prevent injuries from falls on snow and ice. High velocity air conditioning may also be added to hydronically heated homes as a separate system. Hydronic heating is ideal for a newly constructed home or for an addition to an existing home.
Hydronic boilers can also supply the hot water source for the home with the installation of an indirect water heater; thus only one boiler is needed to do both jobs. These indirect water heaters can be used as supplemental "green" heat for solar panels and geothermal units.
The Hydronics Industry Alliance (HIA), a leading advocate for the advancement of this highly efficient and environmentally gentle heating technology, is a coalition of 34 manufacturers who are members of the Hydronics Industry Section of the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute. Several HIA members have LEED Certified Plants, and most members manufacture ENERGYSTAR rated appliances. The HIA participates widely at national Green Builder trade shows and programs.
Homeowners looking for tomorrow's extremely efficient green heating in their homes right now can ask their heating contractor for all the facts about hydronic heating, one of America's fastest-growing forms of home heating comfort. For more information, visit MYHOMEHEATING.COM, or write to the Hydronics Industry Alliance, 8225 Madrillon Estates Drive, Vienna, VA 22182, or e-mail to myhomeheating@verizon.net.