My wife and I were blessed to be able to have a large travel budget for both us to enjoy. This past year, we decided to celebrate our 10th anniversary by staying at an expensive mountain resort during the middle of Spring. The weather was beautiful but still somewhat chilly in the mornings and would drop to about 40 and 50 degrees at night when we would cuddle up to go to sleep. Although we had put the cozy room’s fireplace to great use during our trip, we were more impressed by the heated flooring installed. Controlled by a temperature control much like a normal furnace, radiant floors utilize thermal padding that is installed below whatever flooring material is being used. Thermal padding with wires inside is used in a purely electric setup whereas a method of water pipes warmed by a boiler is used in a hydronic system. Aside from the comfort and convenience, you don’t lose any heat to air duct leaks in your ventilation system. And since the heat rises, all of the energy being spent by this heating method is felt in the indoor air with less leaking through outside walls as well. The major cost issue partnered with radiant flooring is the expense of cutting up your existing flooring and installing new. My wife and I decided to save for new hardwood and save for the replacement with radiantly heated flooring method around that time. We also wanted to install a boiler in our condo and hook it up to a gas line so the cost is not pricey than using electric. It’s hard to muster the patience needed to wait that long, but our new floors will make our efforts worthwhile.