Infrared Heater Pros/Cons

[Rockcam]

I'm looking at heating options for my garage project. 24 x 45 tandem, front half with 10' ceiling, rear is cathedral ceiling, height at the peak is 20' plus. I will keep the garage at 50 or so, and want want fast response up to 65 when I want to work in the shop.

Insulation package will be 2" XPS below the slab, 2x6 walls with dense pack cellulose, r40 cellulose ceiling. Garage doors are R17, three 24 x 24 double pane, low e argon windows.

Here are the systems I'm considering:

In floor radiant - probably not, due to very high initial cost, $ 4000+, and very slow response time. If I wanted constant temps, I might have gone this way.

Forced air unit heater - with the cathedral ceiling, seems like all the warm air will be up at the peak of the ceiling, while I'm still cold standing on the floor. Yes, I could use a ceiling fan to fix that, but now I'm paying to heat space I don't need heated.

Infrared Tube Heater - seems like the right choice. No air stratification like forced air, lower cost and quicker response time than in floor radiant.

Infrared does not seem to be a popular pick. What part of the picture am I missing? I'd like comments from those familiar with infrared heaters, and others who decided for and against them.

Thanks for your help in thinking through the choices.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

IR supposedly heats objects. What happens to the objects when they cool? it radiates into the air..... and rises to the ceiling/roof.

Ceiling fans, cannot say enough for them. You are going to heat the whole place whether you like it or not, and heat stratification is going to happen if you don't do something to even it out.

A good through mixing of the air will warm all of the objects in the shop, something that won't happen with radiant, which will warm the objects in its path.

I have a forced air system fueled by used motor oil/trans fluid which works great. I'm still waiting for a long cold spell, as I've only been able to try it at nite when the temps drop to mid/high 20's but rise right back up to 40's to 60's during the day. Would need several days running of 20's temps to see how it works when you don't have the daytime warmup.

I do know that this heater would be only about half as effective if I didn't have THESE CEILING FANS.

I've been around a few radiant systems, the Habitat ReStore near here has a couple (the square reflector type suspended from the ceiling at an angle) and a neighbor has a tube heater (which I think is a type of radiant) and they both work well, if you happen to be standing directly in their heat path. Get anywhere else, and you are back to freezing cold uncomfortable again.

I chose the system I have based on the fact it burns used oil. I cannot afford to buy propane (no NG here) nor is electric affordable for a 60x60 that is 21 ft high at the peak. I figure the heater costs about 30 cents per hour to operate, about 20 for the electricity for the heater itself, and about 10 cents to run the air compressor for the 6 minutes or so an hour it runs. (80 gal, 7.5 hp, two stage that cycles 4 times an hour if no other air is being used).

Charles

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Is this building divided by a wall? or will it be one big open space with the stepped ceiling? If one part is for storage and one part is to be used mostly for shop and workspace, you could either wall it separate or install some sort of curtain that would limit air flow. This would allow the 10 ft section to be easily heated with a forced air heater.

Charles

 

[Notch1988]

Loved my radiant tube in my last shop, doing it again in my new shop. I'm like you, keep the garage low while I'm away and then crank it up for the weekend. Love the radiant for that.
I don't get the comment about the garage freezing everywhere except under the tube, that's like saying unless you're standing in front of your forced air heater you'll freeze. Install the thermostat across the shop from the heater and you'll be fine.

 

[krooser]

I have a radiant tube heater in my shop... don't oversize your's if you buy one. I heat 1110 sq. ft. with mine and have an 80K btu heater... could do the same with 50k or maybe less. I have R19 walls and about R29 in the ceiling... great way to heat IMHO.

 

[Mr.N]

Most people like their heat what ever type, as heat is always better then none in a cold climate.

You want to watch for people who've replaced one type for another.
My dad was in the heating and cooling business, and he replaced more Infrared Heater systems that any other type. It mainly came down to if you were opening a large door or not.
So for a shop, might work great. For a garage with a garage door, be forewarned.

 

[jjpp]

Radiant tube heaters are designed for quick recovery in areas with high intermittent heat loss/opening and closing doors. Most dealerships use them and that's also why you see them on loading docks because the objects around them are heated and retain the temperature allowing for a quicker recovery.

 

[jjpp]

With all that said I think you will need a couple of ceiling fans up that high because the heat is going to naturally rise no matter what type of heater you use.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

OK, so I LOOKED ON THE INTERNET and found a real straight forward explanation of how a radiant tube heater works. So anything in the path of the IR rays emitted by the heater, warms due to absorption of the IR. Thus the AIR is not heated, as it has very little mass. Objects, such as you, the floor, workbenches, the shop dog, tools, they (at least the ones in the path of the IR sent out by the heater) will warm. Then, those objects will eventually re-radiate heat into the air, warming the air in the building, as "secondary" heating.

What I'm missing here is how a thermostat, especially one that is "on the other side of the shop", and presumably out of the line of IR rays, does any good. The thermostat measures air temperature, and thus, the radiant heater has to warm the objects, and then they in turn warm the air, and eventually, the thermostat senses the rise in air temp.

This is what I'm getting at, every radiant heater system I've ever been around, from the little round "burners" on top of propane bottles warming the guys at the flea market, to the big square radiant burners hanging overhead, to the tube type that run the length of the loading dock, warm the objects, but not the air, and thus, move over to an out of the way corner, and the air is cold. The circulation is all convection, and very slow.

Radiant floor heat is a little different, it is a fully heated floor, and this warms the air above it and this rises and is replaced by cooler air, again convection, but with complete coverage of the area, and its not speedy by any means. In the south, heated floors don't work, with wild temp swings from 25 in the morning to 60 in the afternoon to 70 the next day to 30 the day after that, you cannot cool or warm the area quickly enough to maintain an even heat.

I'm just missing something here. I want to feel warm and I don't want to have to be under the heater to be warm and I cannot see how being anywhere but under the heater will be warm unless it has been running for hours or days on end.

With forced air, you warm the air, rather quickly if the unit is not horribly undersized, and yes, the objects are not warm, least not the floor, the workbenches, etc, because they have to absorb that heat, and that takes time (they will eventually come to "room temp" however). Now myself, and that shop dog (no, I don't have one) will feel warm right away, because the warm air will slow the loss of heat from my body, myself and the dog being warm blooded. Its possible your wife may be otherwise, but that is for you to determine.

I guess its all a matter of whether you want to heat the air first and then the objects, or the objects first, and the air second.

Charles

 

[Rockcam]

Interesting perspective - thank you.

Maybe Badger can answer your questions for us. I will pm him.

 

[kbs2244]

I am a big fan of both I R and fans.
You need them both.

 

[Voi]

I have both a Reznor NG forced air unit on the two car side of my garage and then radiant cove heaters in my third stall. They are sort of similar to radiant tube heaters but not the same. More on that later.

The third stall is divided from from the rest of the garage except for a 7' wide pass through between. The Reznor is as far away from this pass through as possible but is directed towards it so my third stall benefits from the forced air heat unless I have the third stall closed off.

If the third stall is fully up to heat the recovery time is very quick if I have to open the overhead door, assuming I have enough thermal mass in that stall already heated up. If I just go out there on a cold day and turn on the cove heaters only it takes a very long time to heat the area. Basically several hours.

Fortunately I have the Reznor that heats up the entire garage very quickly. Even the back of the third stall that is blocked off from the flow of air heats up quickly. If I need to I can then close off the third stall and let the cove heaters maintain temperature.

So my experience is that recovery time is fast on radiant heaters but that they take a very long time to heat an area up to "working" temperature.

I understand your concern abour the up front cost of radiant floor heat and how long it would take to heat up the area on a cold day.

With that in mind, if I was ruling out floor heat and had to choose between my Reznor and my radiant cove heaters, I would choose the Reznor for sure. My garage is over 900 square ft with 9' ceilings and it is enough for the entire garage. Honestly I only have the cove heaters because they were already there and I do like to have a bit of heat in there is I need to close off the third stall from the rest of the garage.

BTW, radiant cove heaters mount on the wall up near the ceiling and direct the heat at a downwards angle. They are different from what you're considering and given that my ceilings are around 9' I'm not sure how much my experience will help you. In my case the forced air heater wins for heating the area quickly. But my ceilings are only 9' and I still have a cold floor. And I should add that my radiant cove heaters don't heat the slab very well either. Maybe they would if I left them on for days but I haven't tried that.

BTW, there are previous threads here that say mixing ceiling fans with radiant floor heat is not a good idea. I don't know if the same would hold true for radiant tube heaters. I'll see if I can find one and post back with a link.

 

[Voi]

I couldn't find the link I was thinking of but here is another.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129421

There is some good discussion.

 

[Bruce Amacker]

I have IR tube and hate it, it's too hot in the center, too cold at the edges. I purposely set it up with a piece of scrap Vette under it and it bubbled the paint when left on high. I put a FA furnace in for more equalized heat. IR tube is for large warehouses with very high ceiling, if you ask me. Mine's 10' up which is not enough.

:grin:

 

[Charles (in GA)]

If the third stall is fully up to heat the recovery time is very quick if I have to open the overhead door, assuming I have enough thermal mass in that stall already heated up. If I just go out there on a cold day and turn on the cove heaters only it takes a very long time to heat the area. Basically several hours.

This is pretty much what I expected. You have to have the "heavy stuff" the stuff with mass, heated up so it can radiate to the air.

radiant cove heaters mount on the wall up near the ceiling and direct the heat at a downwards angle. They are different from what you're considering and given that my ceilings are around 9' I'm not sure how much my experience will help you. In my case the forced air heater wins for heating the area quickly. But my ceilings are only 9' and I still have a cold floor. And I should add that my radiant cove heaters don't heat the slab very well either. Maybe they would if I left them on for days but I haven't tried that.

Are these the rectangular radiant heaters like were asked about in THIS THREAD

there are previous threads here that say mixing ceiling fans with radiant floor heat is not a good idea. I don't know if the same would hold true for radiant tube heaters. I'll see if I can find one and post back with a link

I never did figure this one out. Heat, well air that is heated, rises, and you want a mixing of the air to prevent stratification, and you want air moving over those objects of mass that are sitting there waiting to radiate heat. If the air is moving I would think that cooler air would come in contact with those objects faster, thus getting that heat into the air faster. If the air is not moving, then you are depending on convection to move the hot air out of the way, and up to the roof, so that it can be replaced by cooler air. The fans speed up this process and at the same time, keep the air well mixed.

Basically, I want to be warm. I'm warm blooded, so I generate my own heat, so if the air is warm around me, I retain more heat and radiate less of it, that is why I like forced air heat.

Charles

 

[Voi]

My radiant cove heaters are like this:

http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/h...tm_campaign=Cove-shop&infoParam.campaignId=WP

They mount high on the wall, just shy of the ceiling. They are very common in my area and they do seem to do a really good job at heating homes that don't have HVAC. I know a lot of people who remodel older homes with electric baseboard heat and they say these are so much better.

I'm sure if I kept my third stall heated to constant temps they'd be fine but in reality they give me just a bit of supplemental heat. I wouldn't use them again but like I said they were already there and I have no reason to get rid of them. I only keep them as I want to put more permanent doors between our third stall (my shop) and the rest of the garage. I'll still have to leave the doors open to get heat from my Reznor in there but when I want to kick up dust or make a mess I'll need the cove heaters to pick up the slack.

 

[Voi]

I never did figure this one out. Heat, well air that is heated, rises, and you want a mixing of the air to prevent stratification, and you want air moving over those objects of mass that are sitting there waiting to radiate heat. If the air is moving I would think that cooler air would come in contact with those objects faster, thus getting that heat into the air faster. If the air is not moving, then you are depending on convection to move the hot air out of the way, and up to the roof, so that it can be replaced by cooler air. The fans speed up this process and at the same time, keep the air well mixed.

Basically, I want to be warm. I'm warm blooded, so I generate my own heat, so if the air is warm around me, I retain more heat and radiate less of it, that is why I like forced air heat.

Charles

But a radiant heat source does little to warm the air so there is no source of convection. This is why shops or homes with radiant floor heat are usually cooler up in lofts or mezzanines.

 

[skyking]

Boulderdash !! I have read all of this and still dont know what to do . I need to do something soon. 40x60x12 , dam good insulation,which way do I go ? Come on guys , I need your help !!!

 

[Notch1988]

I have IR tube and hate it, it's too hot in the center, too cold at the edges. I purposely set it up with a piece of scrap Vette under it and it bubbled the paint when left on high. I put a FA furnace in for more equalized heat. IR tube is for large warehouses with very high ceiling, if you ask me. Mine's 10' up which is not enough.

:grin:

This strikes me as odd. Mine was at 11.5' and there's no way I could bubble paint with it, let alone get anywhere near as hot as a car sitting outside on a midsummer day.

To each his own I guess. I love going out there Saturday morning, turning the thermostat up 20 degrees and running out for my bagel and coffee. I drink my coffee while sitting under the heater while it's cranking, warms me to the core before I get to work.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

But a radiant heat source does little to warm the air so there is no source of convection. This is why shops or homes with radiant floor heat are usually cooler up in lofts or mezzanines.

The convection occurs when the objects in the building, including the concrete transfer heat to the air, then there is convection in the warmed air.

Charles

 

[Shop Specialties]

Infloor is the only way to go. It requires less BTU to heat and you could maintain a higher temp and use less energy as compared to other forms of heating. I have customers where it was designed/installed properly and we have close to 1* per minute temp rise.

 

[krooser]

For those doubters, the SUN is the biggest infrared heater known to man... you don't have to be in the direct rays of the sun to be warm on a sunny July day as everything in the path of those rays gets warm and that warming radiates out and warms everything else. That's how these things work...

I have a 10' ceiling in my shop... with a tube heater higher is better BUT you can install the heater on a 45 degree angle, as I have, and it will cook you out in 20 minutes if you want it to. The heater heats the floor so nicely I can walk around in socks when it's -10F if i choose to do so... that heat rises and keep's everything toasty.

Just don't oversize it... if your heater is a lot cooler on one end you can always cut a little off... I had to lop about 3' off of mine to get it installed.

 

[Rockcam]

I have IR tube and hate it, it's too hot in the center, too cold at the edges. I purposely set it up with a piece of scrap Vette under it and it bubbled the paint when left on high. I put a FA furnace in for more equalized heat. IR tube is for large warehouses with very high ceiling, if you ask me. Mine's 10' up which is not enough.

:grin:

Bruce, is your IR unit high intensity (for industrial spaces with really high ceilings), or low intensity for residential garages? Apparently IR tube heaters in both versions are available.

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

Every space heater will make the air move, even radiant floors. The question is, how much. Two things happen when you blow air around a space, as with a forced air furnace or ceiling fan. First , you increase convection on the outside wall, which adds to heat loss and infiltration. The idea that you can push that hot air down from the ceiling only works efficiently if your ceilings are over 14' or so and you think that a fan blowing on you makes you warmer. (Think summer time fans). You may even the air temperature from floor to ceiling but you will be burning electricity to do it.

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy01osti/29513.pdf

Infrared, whether tube or panel pictured will emit heat at the speed of light and warms objects first, which then re-emit heat waves to other objects and all will convect or move warm air, much of which will end up at the highest point of the ceiling.

Infrared tubes will also convect but most of the heat will be in the form of radiation raising the temperature of objects more quickly than forced air can do. This has to do the with 1800°F surface area vs. the 120° air coming from the common ducted register.

So, as stated here, use a two-stage infrared tube with ducted intake air and vent that is properly sized to the load with the second stage available for the quick heat up for the weekend hobby shop. And start it up the night before so it has a chance to make the space warm before you get there.

With this arrangement, ceiling fans are just burning electricity and cooling off your head unless the air at the ceiling is very warm (as is the case with a space overheated by a wood burner for instance.

I am always looking for the most comfort at the lowest operating cost. If it isn't radiant floors, ceilings or walls, it is an infrared tube.

The infrared unit heater pictured is a vent-less heater and will consume oxygen and emit great amounts of water vapor. They are not for the small shop and should only be specified by a trained professional. This is especially true of new, tight construction.

And don't forget those CO/smoke detector people!

Happy New Year

 

[jjpp]

Nice and complete post BadgerBoiler.

I am not sure what type of heater Bruce is using but I have left a car on the hoist 5-6 feet from the tube heaters at work for weeks and never had any issues.

I had in floor heat in my last home and loved the lack of dust and warm floors but it left some to be desired with big temperature swings and it even had a sensor in the attic to measure out side air temps to help compensate. I had forced air in my last garage and currently have a tube heater for my current shop. The tube heater is by far the best compromise for a shop in my opinion. I have worked under them for 20 years and yes it is warmer directly under them but they have no problem heating a large area as long as they are used at the proper ceiling heights.

 

[pmilin]

If you are going to use an infrared tube heater, does it still make sense to insulate the slab? My guess is yes because the concrete floor will absorb the radiated heat and that heat will get lost into ground below the slab.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

The idea that you can push that hot air down from the ceiling only works efficiently if your ceilings are over 14' or so and you think that a fan blowing on you makes you warmer. (Think summer time fans). You may even the air temperature from floor to ceiling but you will be burning electricity to do it.................

With this arrangement, ceiling fans are just burning electricity and cooling off your head unless the air at the ceiling is very warm (as is the case with a space overheated by a wood burner for instance.

You make it sound as if ceiling fans are just 'gobbling up energy..... most ceiling fans are about 60 watts or so and the three I have together consume about a nickel's worth of power for each hour they run. I have a steel building with a 21 ft peak and 16 ft eaves, and could not effectively heat it without the fans, I tried just to see what it would do, it don't............

Charles

 

[Rockcam]

Thanks for weighing in Badger - what brands of infrared tube heaters do you like, and any to stay away from?

 

[Notch1988]

I ran the Superior brand last time with no issues and will be doing the same this time. My last one was the UA series, this time I'll be going with the two stage TA series.

http://www.superiorradiant.com/Prod...ters/ModelTAStandardHighEfficiencyHeater.aspx

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

Charles make a good point listed ceiling over 15ft or so makes more sense if you super-heat the air in the space. Forced air unit heaters need all the help they can get.

Course in Atlanta you have to get used to moving air.

Happy New Year

I specify infrared tube heaters according to local supply and support. It is an relatively old and mature industry.

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

No one wants forced air for space heating. Forced air furnaces and unit heaters are cheaper to buy, period.

You are really confused by heating advice from a guy that lives in the south vs. a professional mechanical contractor licensed in Minneapolis?

Infrared tube heaters, like any mechanical system, must be properly designed and installed. Many malign certain technologies they did not understand before they installed them.

 

[jjpp]

Charles, @ a nickel an hour that's $36 a month or $216 for a 6 month heating season if you don't turn them off. Just saying it adds up over time but I do agree that air circulation helps to maintain comfort levels.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Charles, @ a nickel an hour that's $36 a month or $216 for a 6 month heating season if you don't turn them off. Just saying it adds up over time but I do agree that air circulation helps to maintain comfort levels.

The fans (and heater) are only run when I'm out there in the shop, or on off days when I'm in and out. They get much more use is in the summer time (it hasn't been cold enough to justify running the heater much this winter), but still only when the place is opened up and I'm there. I don't think I've ever had a $50 electric bill on the building, and thats with over 6000 watts of lights and the air compressor too. I just use what I need, when I need it. In Georgia, its rare for it to be cold for very long in the winter. We seem to have just started a "chilly" spell that I think will last a month or so, near freezing at night and 50's daytime temps.

Charles

 

[thejean]

Hi Guys!

New to the forum but thought I would join as I'm in the process of setting up my dream garage.

I went ahead and installed a Easy Radiant Works 60K Btu radiant tube heater in my 775 sq ft garage (13' ceilings, U tube configuration). It's probably a tad oversized but I wanted quick recovery.

I installed a Honeywell thermostat and it's set for 5 cycles per hour. It's one of those smart ones that learns as it goes.

I put the stat on the opposite side of the garage and set it for 10 deg C. However, temp in the garage is hovering around 17C. I opened the garage door when it was around 5C the other night to make sure it's working ok and it came on at 9.5 and shut off at 10.5. I closed the garage. Next am, temp was back up to 17 even tho it was still 5 outside.

I'm completely baffled. Why will it not hold the set temp? Is my heater oversized (admittedly I could have gone with a 50K Btu model but it's only 20% oversized).

I put the stat on the opposite side of the garage (on an interior wall) so the heater wouldn't short cycle but is it too far away (about 20' away)? Is the radiant heat setting into the objects too much before that temp is detected in the air? Should I move the stat closer maybe?

Is it just because it's still too warm out at the moment? I live in Canada and expect -30 to -40 Celsius at some point this winter. Should I just turn the stat down until it gets colder out? I hope that's not the answer because I really don't want to have to keep fiddling with the setting depending on how cold it is outside.

Should I increase the cycles per hour beyond 5 to make it not run quite as long and sink as much heat into the objects (which later radiates into the air perhaps)?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, JC

 

[thejean]

This link is helpful:
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com...icals/22014/thermostats-radiant-floor-heating

Basically says that the thermostats don't respond all that well to radiant heat as the floor has to heat before the air does and hence they will typically overshoot their set point. Kind of bizarre. But makes sense. Now I need to figure out where to place the stat to minimize this phenomena.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

This link is helpful:
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com...icals/22014/thermostats-radiant-floor-heating

Basically says that the thermostats don't respond all that well to radiant heat as the floor has to heat before the air does and hence they will typically overshoot their set point. Kind of bizarre. But makes sense. Now I need to figure out where to place the stat to minimize this phenomena.

Which is basically the very issue I brought up in post #9 almost two years ago, that thermostats measure air temperature and so it takes a LONG time for the air to warm up with an IR system and as you have discovered, the temp overshoots the set temp and you get wild swings in temp. Not sure how you would correct for this.

I would think you would need a IR heater small enough to run almost all the time and not overheat the place, thus negating the need for a thermostat.

Charles

 

[mygarageone]

No one wants forced air for space heating. Forced air furnaces and unit heaters are cheaper to buy, period.

You are really confused by heating advice from a guy that lives in the south vs. a professional mechanical contractor licensed in Minneapolis?

Infrared tube heaters, like any mechanical system, must be properly designed and installed. Many malign certain technologies they did not understand before they installed them.

Agreed , there is no comparison when it comes to heating in these two states.

Unless you've worked in a garage in the north with concrete floors with a forced air system , you can't possibly appreciate a radiant tube system .
That radiant system will keep your feet warm , that scorched air system will never get your feet warm unless your standing on your head.

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

Though you don't mention insulation--the main factor in heat loads--I can guess your heat load at about 20buth, since I have actually performed Manual J heat loads for many Canadian structures over the last couple of decades.

One of the endless symptoms of over-sizing boilers and furnaces is the appliances inability to maintain design temperature in the structure. It simply can't stay on long enough to keep up with the heat load.

A "smart" thermostat is no substitute for smart sizing. You have to be smarter that the tool.

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

Which is basically the very issue I brought up in post #9 almost two years ago, that thermostats measure air temperature and so it takes a LONG time for the air to warm up with an IR system and as you have discovered, the temp overshoots the set temp and you get wild swings in temp. Not sure how you would correct for this.

I would think you would need a IR heater small enough to run almost all the time and not overheat the place, thus negating the need for a thermostat.

Charles

Now we are getting somewhere.

A high intensity tube heater is like any other. When properly sized to the load, it will operate continuously during "design conditions" e.g. 60°F inside and -10°F, just keeping up with the thermostat.

If you had a properly sized radiant slab--regular room thermostat works fine--you could be a 50°F temperature year-round and bump up to 60° overnight in in most climate without more than 20% over-load conditions depending on the heat load, insulation and control system, not counting fancy thermostats made for scorched-air.

Charles,

You are heating space you don' t use. Whereas, it is true that you would have trouble "cooling" your building without moving air. Heating is naturally an entirely different and unrelated process.

We heat many building with 20' ceiling using the slab as the only heat source and a standard Honeywell heat-only thermostat as the only control--save the built-in outdoor reset and night temperature set-back common to most condensing boilers available today.

The is no benefit is "super-heating" the ceiling just to blow it all back down to the occupants regardless of cost.

By the way, water is 3500 times more efficient than air at transferring heat. Thus my typical pole shed design includes but one 44 watt circulator. Just one.

The only difference heating and cooling in warm vs. cold climates is the percentage of each and the general need for moving air in order to remove latent heat.

Combination heating and cooling systems are always a compromise. Like a 4-door "sports" car, the extra doors don't make sense.

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

One has to keep in mind that Mr. Holladay has never claimed to a radiant expert but does run the technology down whenever he gets the chance.

We use the simplest controls understanding that the outdoor reset affords better comfort and economy than anything he can make up.

Green Building is all about insulation and air quality. I like insulation and appreciate fresh air, but not at any cost...