The health benefits of underfloor heating

Health is usually not the first factor most people consider when they plan to have underfloor heating fitted. However, it is especially beneficial for asthma sufferers.

Take a deep breath

Electric heaters create convection currents that move in a circular motion to warm the air. At the same time, it redistributes dust particles that float around, making them easier to be breathed in. This is not great news for people who suffer from respiratory problems, including asthma. With underfloor heating the room is warmed through gentle heat radiating from the floor, causing no movement of dust.

Alleviate allergies

Underfloor heating systems can reduce the number of dust mites in your home by an estimated 80% because they lessen the moisture in your carpets where dust mites thrive. Because electric heaters warm the air, not the floor, the mites can multiply undisturbed in their dark, moist environments.

It is reported that 90% of people who are treated for asthma says dust mites triggered their condition.

Pain-less feet

Cold weather, low barometric pressure and high humidity can all increase joint discomfort of people suffering from arthritis. Direct contact between the feet and heat source can relieve some of the pain experienced in feet, ankles and legs.

Safety points

Electric heaters pose a safety risk to the very young and elderly. There is a significant risk of burn injury if there’s not sufficient supervision.

The best choice

If the cost-saving didn’t convince you, surely the health benefits did. It is undeniable that installing underfloor heating will make your family – and budget – happy and healthy. Give Hydroheat a call to discuss your options.

The comfort of underfloor heating in winter

Underfloor heating is a great home heating choice to efficiently manage energy usage and enjoy a better standard of overall comfort.

Hydroheat offers water-based underfloor heating systems, which are perfect if you’re looking for an effective and energy-efficient way to keep your home comfortably warm and cosy.

Weather the winter chill

Winters have become a bit unpredictable, with longer extreme cold snaps and days with unseasonable rain pouring down. You might be tempted to turn the heat up high. With underfloor heating that’s not necessary.

Underfloor heating is installed beneath your carpets, tiles or laminate floors and evenly distributes heat through your home from the floor up and is a really smart choice. It has several benefits:

• You can save on electricity bills
• It heats a home more effectively than freestanding heaters
• It is invisible, which makes it aesthetically appealing
• It’s low maintenance

On or off?

When it gets really cold it’s best to keep your underfloor heating on at all times, because it can take a few hours to warm the house up. Keep it on low, rather than switching it off completely. If you are leaving the house for longer periods you might not want to do that. If you’re just doing a quick grocery run, coming home to a comfortably warm house will immediately uplift your mood.

The underfloor heating system will consume more electricity when it’s turned up, so be smart about whether that’s necessary. If your system is running on low rather than completely switched off you’ll be able to raise the temperature much more quickly. And of course, try to restrict your use to the rooms you’re in the most and ensure that the rest of your home’s insulation is in top condition.

If it’s possible to connect your thermostat to smart home automation, you can control it from your phone, turning it off when you leave home, and switching it back on when you leave your office or the mall. It will also be helpful to schedule the temperature according to your requirements to do this automatically – in case you’re so eager to get home at the end of the day at the office where the air conditioner war raged for nine hours that you forget to turn it on. That way, if your home “knows” you’ll be home at 18:00 it will make sure it’s nice and toasty as soon as you step inside.

What about heaters?

Conventional heaters warm the air in the room, the people. This results in air circulation where warm air rises and cold air floats down to the floor. This can dry your skin and result in cold feet. Turning the heater up only increases the negative effects, not only on your body but also your electricity bill.

Interestingly, 1kW of electric floor heating will be more efficient and cheaper to run than a 1 kW conventional heater because of the even spread of radiant heat over the floor surface.

Staying warm

Hydroheat offers specialised underfloor heating solutions. If you’d like to find out more about how you can stay warm this winter, get in touch with us today.

The best way to heat your pool

Regardless of whether your pool is outdoors or indoors, there are many advantages of being able to swim all year round. Gone are the days that the end of summer signalled the end of the pool season. A heated pool offers loads of health benefits, especially if you’d rather not face going to the gym. The question is how to heat it effectively and affordably?

Investing in a quality pool heater

For heating your pool, you can choose between solar heating panels or heat pumps. Heat pumps are neat, compact and an effective way to attain and maintain your pool temperature.

Heat pumps are the most economical choice to heat almost any pool. Solar pool heating can still heat your pool on cloudy days, but not to the same temperatures a heat pump can.

The ins and outs of heat pumps

Heat pumps draw in the heat and humidity from the air and can be installed on the ground as they require little space. A quality heat pump should easily last between 10 to 20 years.

The time needed to heat a pool depends on the size of the heat pump. If it is correctly sized, your pool should reach the desired temperature in 10 hours or less from its coldest. With its built-in thermostat that monitors the pool’s temperature, the pump is automatically throttled when the swimming temperature is reached. Should the pool temperature drop by 1 degree less than the set temperature, the pump will kick in again.

Ideally, a pool should always be covered to hold heat and to stop evaporation and waste of water in addition to keeping debris out of the pool when it’s not being used.

Here comes the sun

You might have reservations over the initial cost of getting a solar water heater fitted. When you consider the long-term benefits, and the ability to have a warm shower on a cold night when there is now power, give Hydroheat a call and we’ll discuss the best solutions for your home.

Sun’s out, power’s on

There are a few things in South Africa that makes the country truly unique: sunny skies on most days and load shedding.

One of the household resources that draws on a lot of energy is heating water. Switching to a home solar water heating system means you at least won’t have to have a cold shower in the middle of winter because of load reduction.

Because it’s so energy-intensive, a geyser is generally not connected to inverter systems and people tend to flip the geyser switch off if they’re running a generator. Energy from the sun is a great solution.

Solar water heater advantages

These are just a few perks of having a home solar water heating system.

• Enjoy a lower carbon footprint – no burning of fossil fuel means there is no gas, no smoke and better air quality, making you part of the fight against climate change
• Save on power costs in the long-term and increase the value of your home
• Ensure a consistent supply of hot water, regardless of what happens with the power grid.

Making the most of your solar water heater

Solar water heating systems are reliable and efficient, and best fitted by professional installers who can judge the best placement location and assess other factors that might impact efficiency.

When compared to hot water systems that make use of electricity or gas, solar hot water systems deliver results at much less of a running cost than any other system.

Here comes the sun

You might have reservations over the initial cost of getting a solar water heater fitted. When you consider the long-term benefits, and the ability to have a warm shower on a cold night when there is now power, give Hydroheat a call and we’ll discuss the best solutions for your home.

Busting solar hot water myths

Solar hot water can be a game-changer for homes in South Africa. There are a few misconceptions out there that might influence your buying decisions. Here those myths are addressed.

We won’t have hot water when it rains

Solar water heaters come with either an electric or gas booster so the water is heated to the correct temperature on days that are overcast or rainy. The sun will heat your water on sunny days, and the booster will take over when necessary – there’s no reason for you to run out of hot water.

Solar water heaters don’t get as hot as traditional water heaters

Water heated by the sun can get hot enough to boil water, but you would never set your water heater that high.

Solar water heaters don’t store hot water

If you choose the right size solar water heater for your home’s needs you won’t need to wait for the water to heat up between showers.

A solar water heater can’t be removed once it’s been installed

Because of their size, solar water heaters can be heavy but they can be moved from one place to another. If you buy one while you’re renting a home, you can easily have it reinstalled on the roof of your next home.

Solar water heaters are expensive

The initial cost for a solar water heater and its correct installation can be costly. However, when compared to an electric heater and a gas heater, a solar water heater is a lot cheaper. It’s also a great investment that can last 15 – 20 years.

A solar water heater won’t make much difference to my electricity bill

Because traditional water heaters use so much energy, you could see as much as a 20 – 30% saving on your electricity bill once you switch to a solar water heater.

Soak up the sun

If you have any reservations about getting a solar water heater, chat to Hydroheat and we’ll discuss the best solutions for your home.

The benefits of a heated pool

The sun sets and you’re not ready to get out of the pool. Fortunately, you’ve got a heated pool and you can float, dive or do some lengths to your heart’s content. With a Hydroheat pool heating system, your pool will be heated in an efficient way that uses less energy so you can have a heated pool throughout the year.

Aside from hours of aquatic fun and round-the-clock pool parties, a heated pool has some real benefits.

Health benefits

Swimming is an excellent form of exercise, particularly for people who may have decreased mobility, the elderly and people recovering from medical treatment. Because the water lessens the wear on your joints, water aerobics or simply swimming laps provide low-impact exercises in soothing warm water.

Property value

A pool alone can add value to your home. A heated pool? Even more so, because being able to use a pool all-year-round makes it more appealing.

The perfect pool temperature

The quest for the perfect pool temperature, much like the perfect office air conditioner setting, is part science and part personal preference. On a hot day, you want to plunge into a refreshingly cold pool. For a night swim something a little warmer is desired.

The general rule of thumb is to consider how you use your swimming pool.

Competitive swimmers prefer to train in cooler water, measuring between 25 -27˚C. In a warmer pool, vigorous exercise and increased body temperature could lead to headaches or general discomfort.

If your pool is used for teaching people, particularly small children, choose a slightly warmer temperature of 28 – 29˚C. This helps to keep the bodies comfortable while learning a new skill.

A temperature of around 30˚C is ideal for elder swimmer because it avoids shocking the system. It’s also great for those suffering from arthritis because the warm water relaxes the muscles and the buoyancy of the water relieves the stress on joints.

For general casual swimming and pool activities, 27-29˚C is ideal. Also, note that algae prefer warmer water – above 29˚C.

Just keep swimming

Whatever your reason for heating your pool, Hydroheat has specialised pool heating solutions. Get in touch with us today.