I feel immensely privileged to afford a generous travel budget for both my wife and me to enjoy. This past year, we decided to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary by booking a stay at a luxurious mountain resort during the mid-spring thaw. The weather was beautiful and sunny but still somewhat chilly in the afternoons and typically between 30 and 40 degrees at night when we would curl up to go to sleep. Although we definitely put the cozy room’s fireplace to good use during our trip, we were more impressed by the heated flooring installed. Controlled by a thermostat much like a normal furnace, radiant heated floors utilize thermal padding that is installed below whatever flooring material is in place. Thermal padding with wires inside is used in a purely electric setup whereas a system of water pipes warmed by a boiler is used in a hydronic system. Aside from the comfort and convenience, you lose absolutely zero heat to ductwork leaks in your ventilation system. And since heat rises, all of the energy being spent by the system is felt in the indoor air with less leaking through outside walls as well. The major cost issue associated with radiant heated floors is the expense of tearing up your existing flooring and installing new. My wife and I decided to save for new hardwood and plan the installation of radiant heated flooring system around that time. We also want to install a boiler in the house and hook it up to a gas line so the cost is lower than using electric. It’s hard to muster the patience needed to wait that long, but our new floors will make our efforts worthwhile.