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Press Release: May 9, 2009

“The Color of Green is Blue” Featured Theme at the National Green Building Conference

Vienna, VA—One of America’s most traditional types of home heating is being transformed from heating homes with blue clean water, to being recognized as one of the greenest heating systems available.  Why is green blue? Take a look at the earth from afar and see the two colors: blue oceans and green colored land. Hydronic heating systems have been using this clean water to provide comfortable heating throughout the home and hot water for all home uses. They have an added safety factor with radiant snow melting around accessible areas of the home to help prevent falls on the ice and snow.

This type of space and water heating offers some of the “greenest” systems available. Most manufacturers have products that are energy efficient and ENERGYSTAR® rated. Hydronic heating can be delivered radiantly through the floor, in baseboards and radiators, and with European styled towel warming bathroom heaters. The indoor air quality remains comfortable with very low or few particulates moving throughout the home.

Compelling Benefits of Hydronic Heating

Hydronic heating systems use a boiler to heat water, which is the heat transfer medium. The heated water is then circulated to heat distributors located throughout the home. These heat distributors can be radiators, finned tube baseboards, radiant tubing, bathroom and towel warmers, and kick space heaters. In addition, the boiler can be used to indirectly heat domestic water and hot tubs and can also be used to melt snow and ice on sidewalks and driveways.

• Hydronic heating dramatically cuts home heating bills because there is only one burner for home heating and water heating;
• Hydronic heating makes it easy to set up numerous heating zones throughout the house;
• Hydronic heating delivers gentle, silent heat, with no hot or cold spots in the home;
• Environmentally-hygienically clean hydronic heating does not circulate air, so it does not scatter dust, mites, or other allergenic materials throughout the house;
• Efficiency can be improved by using new energy efficient pumps to move the water throughout the home; and
• Hydronic heating systems do not require duct work, but high velocity air conditioning can be installed in new and older homes. 

Recent advances in hydronic heating technology include condensing boilers that are vented through the wall, have modulating burners and up to 98 percent ENERGYSTAR® efficiency ratings that qualify for the new energy-efficient tax credits. These high efficient systems allow for a 30 percent of the total cost tax credit which includes the cost of the product plus installation up to $1,500 maximum cap per homeowner for all improvements made in 2009 – 2010. Indirect water heaters can be paired with solar water heating systems to qualify for tax credits as well.

The Hydronics Industry Alliance is a coalition of 34 manufacturers who are members of the Hydronics Industry Section of the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute. One of the activities of the Alliance is to conduct outreach to trade allies to promote the new technologies of a mature business. In addition to the extensive list of trade shows, which include the National Association of Home Builders IBS Expo, the AIA Build Boston Conference, The American Public Gas Association Marketing Conference and the Southern Gas Association Builder’s Conference, the Alliance has developed a web Site (www.myhomeheating.org) with a special section for home builders and remodelers. For more information on hydronic heating systems, contact Mary Smith Carson at mcarsonrcei@verizon.net.  Photos and list of members listed at www.myhomeheating.org.

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