Highlights

• Ballard Manor, a five-story, 65-unit, complex in the Seattle area, uses Uponor radiant floor heating to bring comfort to the community and cost savings to the building owners.
• Heating the 45,000-square-foot building costs an average of $500 per month during the cold Seattle winters, a fraction of what a building of similar size with a forced-air system would run.
• Radiant also provides a safer environment for the residents because it eliminates obstacles such as space heaters or wall radiators residents might stumble over or rub against.

Background

Residents living in Ballard Manor, a five-story retirement home in the Seattle metro area, are happy to be experiencing the benefits of an Uponor hydronic radiant floor heating system.

“They’re so appreciative of the warm floors when they get out of bed each morning,” says Norma Smith, Ballard Manor administrator. “This is a daily reminder of the warmth and comfort this type of heating provides.”

The quality provided by Uponor radiant floor heating means the thermostats are rarely touched in the 65-unit retirement facility. In fact, heating the 45,000-square-foot building costs an average of $500 per month during the cold Seattle winters. This is a token amount considering the average heating costs for a building of similar size with a forced-air system can run several thousand dollars per month.

Smith says comfort and economy make hydronic radiant floor systems an excellent heating option for retirement facilities. “There are so many benefits,” she says. “A radiant floor system is safer because you eliminate obstacles such as space heaters or wall radiators residents might stumble over or rub against.”

Uponor's crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) tubing, manifolds and fittings result in a heating system that is virtually maintenance free. In fact, building designer Ed Smith, president of Apollo Associates, Inc., says he was very impressed with the Uponor product.

“I could instantly see it was quality tubing that would work reliably,” says Smith. “PEX tubing is durable, flexible and will continue to provide warmth and comfort to the residents of Ballard Manor for the duration of the building’s existence.”