In Hot Water, Happily

At the recent Build Boston trade show, I went to a seminar on hydronic heating, which is the heating of a building by radiation from panels containing hot water. This includes traditional radiators as well as radiant floor heating, both of which, in my (and many others’) opinion, are vastly superior to forced hot air. Hydronic heat is quiet, clean, even, and inexpensive to operate—and with radiant floor heating, it’s invisible.

I was impressed by the way the hydronics industry, despite being full of competing companies, seems to have banded together to present a cohesive face to the public. The myhomeheating.org website does a great job explaining hydronics, while another website names names on what companies use trained technicians to install hydronic systems. One of the scariest things about hiring a heating system contractor is knowing who’s good—natex.org tells you companies in your area that have people trained by North American Technician Excellence (NATE), an independent certification program.