What is Radiant Floor Heating and what are the advantages of it?? We get asked that often.

Radiant floor heating is the best heating system a house can have and one that you don’t realize it is there! Just imagine: no radiators clanking in the night and no vents whooshing like a jet preparing for take off!! No dust – collecting ductwork that runs up your allergist”s bills. That’s the advantage of radiant floor heating. It is an even blanket of heat, right where you want it. It’s also a highly efficient way to heat a house, increasing comfort as it reduces energy costs.

This is how radiant heat works – In a radiant setup, the warmth is supplied by hot-water tubes or electric wires buried underneath the floor. As the invisible waves of thermal radiation rise from below, they warm up any objects they strike, which radiate that captured heat in turn. Though the air temperature remains relatively constant, you stay comfortable because the surrounding surfaces aren’t stealing warmth from your body.

Contrast that with what happens in a conventional forced-air heating system, the kind found in most homes. Air blows out of the registers at a well-baked 120 degrees, rises to the top of the room where it quickly sheds heat, then drops back down as it cools. The air in the room becomes uncomfortably stratified: Your head can be bathed in warmth while your toes lie in the frozen zone. Then there’s the problem of cycling. “You turn on the furnace, it quickly takes you to 68 or 70, and then shuts off. The result is a phenomenon he calls “the cold 70,” which is what you feel right after the hot air stops pumping from the registers. Those jarring ups and downs are absent with radiant floors, which may reach 85 degrees, tops, on a frigid day. The warm air still rises, but it does so evenly over the entire floor, so the coolest air stays up at the ceiling.

The cost of energy is something that everyone’s concerned about and with energy costs projected to continue rising for the foreseeable future, it should come as no surprise that an increasing number of people are looking for ways to reduce their energy consumption and of course, their bills. If you’ve been following the news, you’ve probably heard about something called a smart meter. What you may not know about these devices, however, is exactly what they are and what makes them special.

Can installing a smart meter in your home help you to save on your energy bill? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this new generation of power meters? Keep reading for the answers to these questions.

Smart meters are designed to work with new smart power grid technologies which are being implemented in several countries and like the grids themselves, they are designed to help consumers to use energy more efficiently. These new meters can be read online, which will ultimately eliminate the need for utility company employees to go door to door reading power meters. However, there are advantages for consumers as well as for the utility companies.

The most important advantage of using smart meters as far as consumers are concerned is the ability to access much more detailed information about their energy consumption. Rather than simply providing information about the total level of power consumption, a smart meter allows consumers to see not only how much energy they’re using in their home, but how this energy is used. This is data which homeowners can act on to reduce their energy consumption, essentially putting control over their energy bills back into their hands.

These meters provide detailed information on usage by time of day, which allows consumers to identify their household’s peak usage times as well as the rates assessed during these hours. Better still, consumers can identify how much energy particular appliances are using, alerting them when appliances aren’t operating at optimal efficiency so that they can have these appliances serviced or replaced as needed. Software is now available for users which automatically send text messages with customized information on their energy usage, so there’s no need to be out of the loop as far as energy efficiency is concerned.

While consumers will need to hire an electrician to come out and install a smart meter in their home in areas where local utilities do not provide this service, the savings which the average household could realize from using these sophisticated power meters should make this a worthwhile investment. Smart meters are clearly a growing trend and in the near future, they will be even more useful as newer energy technologies like solar and wind power become more common, since they are ready to work with these power sources.

For instance, with a conventional electricity meter, it would be necessary to have an electrician come to your home to install a new meter if you were to install a wind turbine or solar panel on your home. A smart meter, however, is able to seamlessly integrate with the new power source; which is yet another reason that budget-conscious and environmentally minded consumers are starting to take a serious look at smart meters.

LED light bulbs and fixtures are the best alternatives for many reasons.

LED lights are available in several shades of white. These shades are referred to as a bulb’s correlated color temperature (National Institute of General Medical Sciences, states that, “Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism’s environment.”

According to writes, “Several studies have documented the importance of light in reducing depression, decreasing fatigue, improving alertness, modulating circadian rhythms, and treating conditions such as hyperbilirubinemia among infants. Further, the presence of windows in the workplace and access to daylight have been linked with increased satisfaction with the work environment.” Windows are the best method of accessing daylight, but cool white LED lights along with the right color temperatures at the right times, can have the same effect on the body.

Warmer color temperatures lead to the release of melatonin, which causes drowsiness. This is appropriate during bedtime hours, but causes problems for those who need to stay awake, such as overnight nurses and doctors. Introducing natural or cool white light to hallways, operating rooms, and nurse stations can help hospital staff, especially overnight workers, feel more alert and energetic.

EPA has a list of cleanup procedures, such as having everyone leave the room, opening a doors or windows, shutting off heat and air-conditioning systems, and other specific instructions.

Fluorescent and incandescent bulbs also emit low doses of UV radiation that can damage not only facility materials but can also damage skin and eyes. According to a CBSLA.com discusses the results of another study that had similar findings. In this article, it is said that, “. . . exposure to the (fluorescent) bulbs could lead to premature aging and cancer.”

Continued UV exposure is also harmful to the eyes. A LED lights won’t flicker or emit any color spikes. Color fluctuations and flicker can cause negative effects, such as headaches and dizziness. When used for hospital lighting, LED bulbs and fixtures can improve overall health and eliminate the possibility of additional health risks posed by fluorescent and incandescent bulbs.

Seeing colors as they truly are is critical in health care environments. Inaccurate color rendering of skin or blood could lead to a misdiagnosis or failure to see signs of infection or jaundice. The spectral graph below can be helpful in understanding the advantage of high-CRI light sources. Lights with a low CRI will show fewer colors while high-CRI lights cover more of the spectrum. A light source’s ability to show more colors increases its accuracy in revealing the true colors of people, objects, and surroundings.

FreemanWhite, a health-care-focused design firm reports, “. . .light fixtures with a high CRI . . .  help caregivers assess rashes, lesions, and skin pigmentation.” They go on to say, “In the interest of avoiding liability claims, better lighting quality can enhance a caregiver’s ability to diagnose correctly, identify reactions, prevent secondary infections, and minimize readmissions.” High-CRI LED lights can also help prevent medication errors.

Another method of LED hospital lighting control is the use of occupancy sensors. These sensors will save money beyond those that result from reduced energy consumption. Sensors will also extend the life span of bulbs and fixtures even further by turning them off when no one is in the area. These sensors are best suited for low-traffic areas.