Atlanta, GA, January 11, 2006--With natural gas prices anticipated to rise by 35 percent this winter, many Americans are looking for ways to reduce their energy consumption by using alternative heat sources.
Rhonda and Mark Havlish of northern Indiana read about a unique “under carpet” heating system in This Old House magazine and decided to give it a try.
“Our family room is located over an unheated crawl space, and it always felt colder than the rest of the house,” Mrs. Havlish explains. “After reading about Speedheat’s electric radiant floor heating system, we decided to have two panels installed. Last month, it was unusually cold, and we put the product to the test. It surpassed our expectations. And, with gas prices higher this year, we have kept our thermostat turned down. We are so pleased that we are planning on adding Speedheat in at least two other rooms.”
The Havlish’s are not alone in trying to stay warm while turning back the thermostat. Higher energy prices are anticipated to hit most Americans in the wallet this winter. According to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Short-Term Energy Outlook released January 10, 2006, “on average, households heating primarily with natural gas likely will spend $257 (35 percent) more for fuel this winter than last winter.” The EIA also projected the following potential increases as compared to last year’s rates: heating oil up 23 percent, propane up 17 percent, and electricity up 10 percent. The EIA cautioned that if colder weather prevailed, expenditures could be significantly higher.
If this trend continues, investments made in conserving energy should pay for themselves in the future through reduced utility bills.
“With the proliferation of today’s more spacious homes, the simple concept of ‘zone heating’ is becoming popular to easily reduce heating costs,” says Peter Newman, president of Speedheat US. “Zone heating simply involves heating the occupied rooms in your home while allowing unoccupied areas to remain cooler.”
Mark and Rhonda Havlish are using the concept of zone heating to their advantage. They turn on the Speedheat panels when they are using the family room and turn them off when not in use. They have also been able to turn down their thermostat and still stay warm. “We have always had to have extra blankets on our chairs for those chilly nights, and I have put them all away,” Mrs. Havlish says. “It’s amazing what a little warmth on the floor can do to keep the entire room comfortable.”
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), “zone heating can produce energy savings of more than 20 percent compared to heating both occupied and unoccupied areas of your house.”
For greater energy savings, the Radiant Heating and Cooling Handbook calculates that for every 10 degrees the thermostat is lowered, energy consumption is reduced by approximately 40 percent. While saving this amount of energy is certainly desirable, staying comfortable is also important. With Speedheat, users can enjoy the best of both worlds.
Speedheat warms from the ground up and produces evenly heated rooms that are more comfortable at lower temperatures. So, when Speedheat is installed throughout a home, users can easily reduce the thermostat by 10 degrees or more and still remain comfortable.
“Until you have experienced electric radiant floor heating, it is difficult to fully comprehend,” says Mr. Pieter Jansens, chairman of Speedheat International. “Because the radiant heat warms you and not the air, you actually feel warmer at lower thermostat settings. While the temperature around you is lower, your comfort level is actually higher.”
In addition to the under carpet heating system selected by the Havlish’s, Speedheat also offers electric radiant floor heating panels that can be used under virtually any floor covering. Speedheat’s installed heating panels also feature fully programmable thermostats.
