SunTouch Mats News Blog

Keep Cozy This Fall

November 15, 2008 00:11 AM  BY  STUART TAYLOR

Is there anything worse the crawling out of a nice warm bed and then stepping onto ice cold bathroom tile? In my opinion, there aren’t many things worse than that. What a great way to get your day off to a rotten start. However, SunTouch® floor warming mats provide a convenient solution to this age-old problem. Thanks to the technology behind these floor warming mats, you can have heated floors in every room of your home.

So, how do these floor warming mats work? Well, they draw upon the principles of radiant heat to provide a comfortable and efficient heating alternative for your home.
A good analogy for radiant floor heating to forced air is a car that has heated seats and a forced air heater/furnace. The forced air in a car can dry you out and can become uncomfortable and is difficult to dial in because of the heat loss due to its air delivery. A heated seat will provide you with quick results and will remain warm long after it is reduced or turned completely off. The heated seat actually warms your body and the car seat, not the air. Forced air will over time will inefficiently heat objects but with the negative side effects of dry air, dust and pollen.

If you’re remodeling, or building a new home, you should checkout the line of SunTouch floor warming mats.


  Radiant Floor Heating  

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Ideal for So Many Situations

November 15, 2008 00:11 AM  BY  STUART TAYLOR

With the current housing market being so unpredictable, an increasing number of homeowners are opting to stay put in their homes, rather than buy a new home. They find that one way to make their current home a better fit for them is to remodel the kitchen or bathroom, or upgrade the home’s heating systems. While there isn’t a single heating system out there that is an ideal fit for every project, there is an ideal system for every project. SunTouch ® can provide you with the right floor warming systems for your home, as well as consult with you on which systems would be the best fit for your project.

It’s stood the test of time. Not a lot of people realize that home heating systems that run underneath the floors are not exactly new inventions, but the truth is that this form of heating was first used by the Romans. Naturally, there have been some major improvements since the Romans first came up with the idea.

Hydronic under floor heating systems are some of the most popular forms of radiant floor warming systems that SunTouch can provide. These hydronic systems are ideal for remodeling and most new construction projects.


  Radiant Floor Heating  

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Home Heating System Options

November 14, 2008 00:11 AM  BY  STUART TAYLOR

Many homeowners love the look of tile, wood, or floating woods but dread stepping out of their soothing shower onto cold tile, especially during those frigid winter months. And many love tile or wood in their kitchens and living areas but worry about their little ones playing and running around on cold floors. That’s why so many are opting to install floor warming mats to warm up their floors. The installation of floor warming mats is not new. In fact, floor warming mats have been installed under bathroom and kitchen tile in the United States for the past 10 years and these floor heating products continue to gain popularity. Many in the kitchen and bath industry expect heated floors to continue to play a big role among homeowners who crave comfort, and efficiency.  Efficiency because evenly distributed radiant heat in your floors will allow you to turn down your thermostat two to four degrees. This can reduce energy costs by 10-40%. This setback to your thermostat can happen because a radiant floor heats from the ground up and delivers the heat through objects not air. This makes the lowest three feet of your home the most comfortable where a forced air system loses its heat to the ceiling and is required to heat from the top down. Delivering heat by air also makes it easy to escape and increase your overall heat loss.


  Radiant Floor Heating  

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Growing the Radiant Heating Trend in North America

November 14, 2008 00:11 AM  BY  STUART TAYLOR

Electric radiant heat is a growing trend that started in Europe and is now becoming well known in North America for its distinct benefits, and SunTouch ® heating products are leading the way for this new type of heating. Instead of warming air and then circulating it throughout your home using ducts and vents, electric radiant heat is embedded under your floor and uses the entire floor to evenly distribute low-temperature heat.

Although SunTouch offers a variety of methods and technologies one can choose from, the benefits of radiant heat are the same. Electric radiant heat is a unique transfer of energy that naturally searches out colder objects to warm. Instead of rising like warm air, radiant heat starts by warming the coldest and closest objects from its source in any direction. Since floors are usually cold, radiant heating systems are commonly placed under them.

Electric radiant heat is available for many different applications, including bathrooms, kitchens, heated towel racks, and heated walls and ceilings.  To find the right radiant heating system for your home, contact the staff at SunTouch.  Their knowledgeable and friendly staff can help you find the system that matches your needs, along with your budget.


  Radiant Floor Heating  

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Going the Non-Traditional Route

November 13, 2008 00:11 AM  BY  STUART TAYLOR

While fire places and coal burning stoves become less popular options for heating a residence, other alternative heating methods are quickly becoming more common. Traditional furnaces as a primary heating system are now being challenged from radiant baseboards, radiant floor heating systems and even radiant ceiling heaters.

Many of these new heating systems are using electricity instead of natural gas or heating oil. SunTouch ®, for example, provides affordable heating solutions which add comfort, and save money as well. Not only do SunTouch heating systems cut down on heating costs, but they are also more efficient and eco-friendly as well. These heating systems are quickly replacing traditional furnaces.This is not surprising given the fact that they are not only more efficient, but provide a more comfortable environment as well.

One great aspect to SunTouch heating systems, as opposed to warm air systems (such as a forced air unit heaters), deliver the source of heat to the floor level, not the ceiling. As a result, you get heat evenly distributed where you need it most, rather than having heat accumulate at the ceiling level. 

If you would like to know more about SunTouch radiant heating systems, contact their knowledgeable staff who will be happy to help.


  Radiant Floor Heating  

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Fret No More - We Have the Solution

November 13, 2008 00:11 AM  BY  STUART TAYLOR

You don’t have to worry that it’ll be an impossible task, even if you’ve ever tried to update, or install a new heating system in an older home and you’re well aware of how difficult this can be. A lot of older homes that were once heated by wood burning stoves don’t have heating and air conditioning ducts with which to deliver the heat to the different rooms of the house.

Installing these ducts after the fact can not only be difficult, but is also very costly. However, there is a solution to adding heating to homes that have not been built for traditional forced air systems.This can be accomplished via floor warming mats, which are installed beneath your flooring.

Floor warming mats, as opposed to warm air systems (such as a forced air unit heaters), delivers the source of heat to the floor level, not the ceiling. Radiant heaters or radiant energy is the oldest form of heating used to provide comfort and is the basis for all heating systems. Radiant energy is totally pure radiation and is absorbed by an object without physical contact with the heat source or by heating the surrounding air, as is the case with convective, forced air systems.

Because floor warming mats can be installed under carpet, hard wood, tile, or other floor or wall surfaces they make adding heat to any room of the home very simple. Furthermore, radiant heaters offer more comfort than forced air heating by heating the atmosphere from the ground up. Since heat rises, the heat will be more evenly distributed, thereby providing a much more comfortable atmosphere.

Here’s the bottom line: radiant heaters are not only a comfortable, and cost effective heating solution, but they make installing heating in older homes much more easily, and can save you a lot of time and money.


  Radiant Floor Heating  

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Floor Warming Systems Make for an Efficient Heating Upgrade

November 12, 2008 00:11 AM  BY  STUART TAYLOR

If you’ve ever tried to update, or install a new heating system in an older home you’re well aware of how difficult this can be. A lot of older homes that were once heated by wood burning stoves don’t have heating and air conditioning ducts with which to deliver the heat to the different rooms of the house. Installing these ducts after the fact can not only be difficult, but is also very costly. However, there is a solution to adding heating to homes that have not been built for traditional forced air systems. This can be accomplished via floor warming mats, which are installed beneath your flooring.

Floor warming mats, as opposed to warm air systems (such as a forced air unit heaters), delivers the source of heat to the floor level, not the ceiling. Radiant heaters or radiant energy is the oldest form of heating used to provide comfort and is the basis for all heating systems. Radiant energy is totally pure radiation and is absorbed by an object without physical contact with the heat source or by heating the surrounding air, as is the case with convective, forced air systems.

Because floor warming mats can be installed under carpet, hard wood, tile, or other floor or wall surfaces they make adding heat to any room of the home very simple. Furthermore, radiant heaters offer more comfort than forced air heating by heating the atmosphere from the ground up. Since heat rises, the heat will be more evenly distributed, thereby providing a much more comfortable atmosphere. Radiant heaters are not only a comfortable, and cost effective heating solution, but they make installing heating in older homes much more easily, and can save you a lot of time and money.


  Radiant Floor Heating  

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Floor Heating Products Increase Home Heating Efficiency

November 12, 2008 00:11 AM  BY  STUART TAYLOR

Instead of rising like warm air, radiant heat starts by warming the coldest and closest objects from its source. This is why radiant heating systems are generally placed under floors in the form of floor warming mats. There are several different applications for floor warming mats, which include the following:

Bathrooms, Kitchens, and Entry Ways. Bathrooms, Kitchens and Entryways are ideals places to incorporate floor warming mats. Tile, Marble, Slate, and even Hardwood are floor coverings that are cold to step onto with bare feet during winter or summer. A radiant heat product can be installed under these surfaces throughout the home and take the cold bite out of these areas. Never have cold floors or feet again!

Basements. Basements are one of the top requested areas to add radiant heat. Due to the fact that forced air systems heat air and hot air rises the basement is usually the living space that remains cold. New construction is the best time to add radiant heat to a basement.

Whether you’re building a new home, or remodeling your existing home, radiant floor heating is a great way to add comfort and efficiency to the rooms in your home that are traditionally hard to heat.


  Radiant Floor Heating  

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Don't Cover Your Beautiful Hardwood Floors

November 11, 2008 00:11 AM  BY  STUART TAYLOR

Floor coverings such as marble or tile are the perfect way to add beauty and style to your new home or remodel project. However, often times wood, stone, marble and tile appear inviting but are uncomfortably cold, especially during cold winter months.  Adding SunTouch floor heating is a great way to add efficiency and comfort to your home – from the ground up! SunTouch® products give you the ability to feel the radiating power of the sun at all hours of the day, and especially during the months that are the coldest. Radiant floor heating systems provide quiet, constant, and uniform floor heat under cold surfaces leaving them comfortable to the touch and adding unseen elegance to your home.

While you may think that heated floors are reserved for those with big budgets, recent advances in radiant floor heating technology have made it possible to get radiant floor heating on virtually any budget.  No matter what the application, or what your budget, SunTouch offers a solution to meet your needs.  From new constructions, to remodels, you owe it to yourself to checkout the benefits and comfort of radiant floor heating. 


  Radiant Floor Heating  

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Cutting Costs without Sacrifices

November 11, 2008 00:11 AM  BY  STUART TAYLOR

All winter long, you’ve probably been stunned by increasingly expensive energy bills. New technology in radiant heating can help you cut electricity costs. Now SunTouch ® heating systems offer you a choice of a thermostat that is controlled by a floor sensor. This allows you to measure floor temperature and control the actual temperature in a specific room.

SunTouch radiant heating can be used and controlled as a primary source of heat or used as a supplemental heating source to add comfort to your living spaces. When a radiant heating system is turned on, energy is forced through a conductive material to create resistance or heat. For most areas an electric line-voltage system is used. These systems use a special thermostat that has an integrated breaker for safety right at the power source. They are available in 110 or 220 voltage. Low-voltage systems use the same voltages and consume the same amount of power as line-voltage products. The main difference is the use of a step-down transformer which reduces the voltage supplied to the heating materials. Due to their safe low-voltage current (8-30v) products can be nailed and stapled down to secure the product to the floor and are therefore useful for installation under hardwood and carpet.

To find out about how radiant floor heating works and how it can dramatically change your home’s comfort levels, simply contact SunTouch.


  Radiant Floor Heating  

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