We had an unseasonably warm day to install the pex tubing for our radiant floor system. It was the only day in weeks that was above freezing so the tubing was quite easy to work with.

The pex will transfer hot water through the floor to heat our house. A radiant floor heating system has several advantages over a forced air system. It requires less energy to convey the heat and the thermal mass of the floor effectively stores and radiates it evenly throughout the entire house.

All hot water for the house will be pre-heated with an evacuated tube system located on the south facade. The glass evacuated tubes contain an element, sealed  in a vacuum, that responds to the sun's energy and creates heat. This heat is then conveyed, via water or air, through a coil that transfers that heat to a hot water tank that separately supplies the radiant floor and  domestic hot water. Pre-heating these water sources with the sun's energy requires the use of less electricity or natural gas.

 - Steve