“Sustainability is a set of conditions and trends in a given system that can continue indefinitely.”
- Alan AtKisson
Earthstar led the way in pioneering the resurgence of radiant floor heating in Northern New England from the early 80's through the 90's. We have developed the market and the technology of radiant heating, and in the mid 90's extended the use of our radiant systems to include radiant cooling as well. Earthstar has developed its own efficient and economical control systems to provide the owner the most comfortable environment possible.
The following details some of the benefits of our radiant heating and cooling systems.
Radiant Heating
Radiant provides the highest levels of comfort
Radiant floors provide a very warm, cozy and comfortable feel. A radiant system provides even all surrounding warmth, directly warming the body in addition to heating the air. Cold floors and drafts are eliminated, so you won’t experience hot and cold areas, dryness and dust like a traditional forced air system.Radiant floors make healthy living spaces
There is no forced air movement spreading dust and the allergens and dust mites that come with dust particles. There is no hot surface drying out the air, so the humidity remains higher. Your sinuses and throat do become dried out, reducing colds and coughs and allergic reactions. Most people can breathe much easier in a radiant heated house. Without cold floors, the need for carpeting and the dust it holds is eliminated. Walking around the house becomes a pleasure even on the coldest winter mornings.Our radiant floors keep you comfortable all the time
Our radiant systems maintain precise indoor temperatures without uncomfortable temperature swings. We use advanced tekmar controls with indoor and outdoor feedback to provide precisely the right amount of heat and keep indoor temperature levels very comfortably close to the room setpoint.Mass heating maximizes efficiency
Radiant heating systems inherently hold more heat than forced air systems because the structural mass of the building contains the heat. Because of this, the building is less susceptible to temperature swings due to changing outdoor temperature, high winds, or people entering and leaving through the door. The large amount of mass is similar to a flywheel: it needs to be kicked hard to get it going, but once it’s up to speed it requires small amounts of energy to maintain temperature. Our feedback controls allow the house to heat quickly and then supply the right amount of energy to maintain a comfortable environment, adjusting for changes in the weather, passive solar gains, or drafts. With the heat provided by a radiant floor system, there is no "hot air" that rises to the ceiling. Without losing heat to the ceiling area, infiltration is reduced and and so is the heating bill.High mass is good for solar
A high mass radiant floor, using a concrete slab, holds and stores more heat and requires lower water supply temperatures than a lower mass floor such as a wooden floor system. High mass floors are especially beneficial for non-constant sources, such as the sun. With their higher mass, they provide heat for a longer time. Combined with solar collection, a heating system can be driven by the sun during the day and then “coast” as the high mass floor continues to provide solar heat into the night.Low mass works too
A low mass system is just as effective as a high mass system in terms of comfort. While it cannot store as much heat as a high mass system, it still stores considerably more energy than a forced air system and is easily retrofitted in existing homes. Our designs work effectively with both high mass and low mass systems.Active & Passive Solar
Earthstar radiant systems are good for both active and passive solar gain. The large distribution surface and feedback control system allows us to maintain a low supply temperature to the floor. This means we can run the solar tank to lower temperatures before we need to supplement with a separate source. Furthermore, this allows passive gains to put heat into the floor, reducing solar overheating effects and maintaining maximum comfort. Additionally, the passive solar heat gain to the floors can often be redistributed to the rest of the house through the recirculating radiant floor system.Going green? Go with radiant!
Because the floor has such a large surface area, it does not require high supply temperatures to comfortably heat the house. This is very important because solar and geothermal energy can be harnessed much more efficiently. By combining a radiant floor with solar and geothermal technologies, you’ll be helping the environment AND saving money on your heating bill.
Radiant Cooling
Radiant Cooling
As long as the radiant system is providing comfortable, healthy, and efficient heating, why not use the same system for cooling? Just like radiant heating, radiant cooling feels great! We do earth-coupled cooling as well as geothermal heat pump cooling. If your house requires A/C along with radiant cooling, we incorporate a humidity setpoint with our A/C cooling controls, giving greater flexibility, comfort, efficiency and a healthier indoor environment. We also provide sufficient control to make sure your floors don’t sweat.Radiant cooling offers many of the same benefits as radiant heating
A cool floor to walk on effects the “thermostat” of the body. The floor mass draws heat from the body through radiation and directly through the feet. Most everyone has experienced a cool basement during the heat of summer. This is actually radiant mass cooling coming directly from the cooler earth temperatures. Radiant cooling allows for a cool feel at slightly higher humidity levels, preventing the air from feeling chilly.Radiant cooling is used in conjunction with air dehumidification
A cool mass has limits to its ability to cool without also dehumidifying. That cool basement may also have felt damp because the basement slab was too cool. Condensation on floors, walls, or ceilings is undesirable. In these cases, we use the radiant floor to provide as much cooling as possible without condensation. Any additional cooling needed can be provided with a downsized air handling system, providing dehumidification and additional direct air cooling.
© 2009 EarthStar Energy Systems, Inc.
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