Living in the northern part of the country, winter is the longest season.
We experience cold weather and snow for at least two-thirds of the year.
The temperature frequently dips below freezing and negative digits aren’t uncommon. The windchill is absolutely brutal and can make it dangerous to spend much time outdoors. There are frequent school closings and driving bans. Our weather forecast is constantly warning about freezing rain, snow flurries, black ice and blizzard conditions. It’s necessary to start up the heater by the end of September or early October and we often have snow on the ground at Easter. The efficiency of the heating system is especially important. The cost of keeping a comfortable home accounts for about fifty percent of our energy usage. I am very thankful to heat my house with a boiler and radiant flooring. There are so many advantages to a hydronic heating system. Because water heats up quicker and holds onto heat longer than air, boilers tend to cost less to operate than a furnace. A boiler uses fewer moving parts than a furnace, requiring less maintenance and making them more reliable. While a furnace has a life expectancy of around twenty years, a boiler often lasts for more than thirty years. Hydronic heating is a far more gentle and consistent comfort. The temperature from floor to ceiling and corner to corner never varies by more than a couple of degrees. Our boiler heats up water and sends it through a network of pipes installed beneath the floors. With radiant floor heating, all of the equipment is concealed. It takes up no living space and doesn’t detract from the decor. I don’t need to arrange furniture to accommodate vents.