Spot the Short Cuts

These pictures show the main piping at a residence using an electric boiler. The distribution system is all 

in-floor heating on a high mass over pour on all levels with just one small loop of copper baseboard. 

The new tenant in this situation experienced a $3700.00 electrical bill for one month of heating. Yes, it is a large home of approximately 3500 sqft, but that’s an extremely high heating cost. 

It may look impressive..... But, it’s not. 

In fact, it’s poorly laid out and lacks controls that would indicate that components are not fully functional. (This is only something a true Professional could point out.)

 Why is it this way?? Well, it’s to lower installation costs. 

However, one or two months of heating bills like this would make the upfront cost of a “Professional installation” of proper relay control panels, pale in comparison. This is the result of choosing the “cheapest quote”.

On top of the $3400 electric bills, let’s talk about the extra labour required by bringing in a professional to repair, or just to even figure out what’s been wired and how! (It is likely any Technician is going to spend at least a few hours or more just trying to get an idea of where to look, let alone, find which component that are not operating correctly). 

Another red flag here is evidence that this isn’t the original heating system. In a 20 year old home, already on its 2nd heating system speaks volumes to me. 

Afterwards, I found out the home had also had at least 5 owners! I expect they all ran away once they found out the operating cost on this home. However, that is just a guess😉. 

While all of this can be corrected in the mechanical room, I have to wonder how well the system was laid out and insulated (in the basement in-floor slab specifically). 

The long and short of it is, the heating industry is mostly unregulated, and while safety regulations are usually made correct. How well it works, or, how much it’s going to cost and provide comfort to the homeowner is dependent on the Heating Contractor you’ve chosen to do the work! 

Our individual skill set and knowledge is not rated other than by a reputation developed over time and experience. Check references, do your research. Ask to see their credentials. These things are SO important.

In my Professional experience, there are NO short cuts, only sacrifices made to cut capital costs, while some can be remedied in future, some cannot be changed, or, the costs associated with changing is exponentially increased. 

Don’t kid yourself, those “short cuts” DO end up costing you more in the long run. 

However, your utility/ energy provider will like you.