Warming Your Toes in a Minnesota Winter

In-floor heating can be energy-efficient as well as a great comfort

Minneapolis, Minn. Oct. 6, 2006 – Even as we enjoy a few more days of nice weather, we all know that winter chills aren't far away.    Once again, we find ourselves asking the proverbial question, is it possible to keep your toes warm in a Minnesota winter?   For one future homeowner in Aitkin, Minnesota – the answer will be yes!

"We're installing an in-floor radiant heating system to make sure the homeowners have warm toes and a manageable heating bill this winter," says Alison Lindburg, Director of Dovetail Partner's Eco-Affordable Housing Program.  

"It is probably going to be the warmest foundation in Minnesota," says Peter Haack of Talor Building Systems. "Whoever buys this house is going to save a lot of energy."

The house sits on an engineered frost-proof slab and utilizes in-floor heating technology. In-floor heating involves installing water tubes or electric coils in the subfloor. In simple terms, in-floor heating works by heating objects rather than heating the air, which is the common method in forced air heating systems. The mass of the objects loses heat less quickly than air, and for this reason, in-floor radiant heat is generally more energy efficient than other heating options. Many people claim that this type of heating is more comfortable, as well.

"For our project, we are using the water tube method," says Lindburg. "The tubing is connected to an electric water heater, and the hot water tubing will heat the floor." Using the water tubing method will allow the homeowner to easily switch to other methods of heating the water as new technology becomes available. "In the future, the homeowner might want to use solar panels or another low-cost energy source to heat the water. This system can be easily adapted to that new technology."

In addition to being energy efficient, the house will also be less expensive to operate.   It will be electrically heated during non-peak hours in a program run by Aitkin's electric company, Aitkin Public Utilities.   Many utility companies offer plans and incentives to help the homeowner save money during the winter months.

According to Edward Wicker of Talor, "The future homeowner is going to be very fortunate and will probably enjoy opening their energy bill."

The house will be completed and ready for open houses this fall. The McKnight Foundation, Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation, and Surdna Foundation are providing support for this project.   Project financing is through Bremer Bank.

For further information:

Alison Lindburg, Dovetail Partners Inc., tel: 612-333-0430 info@dovetailinc.org

For project photos, click here.