When shows like FYI’s “Tiny House Nation” started airing a couple of years ago, people were intrigued to learn about these simple, affordable homes. However, very few would have guessed that this would become more than a fad.
Today, at least four TV shows are dedicated to tiny homes, and last year alone more than 30 microcommunities were developed across the United States, according to Tiny House Community. Tiny houses are great for those who want more financial freedom, a lower carbon footprint, and a simpler lifestyle. The average cost of a tiny home is $23,000, according to a Huffington Post article, and 68 percent of tiny-house owners have no mortgage. That’s quite an incentive to buy!
However, if you want to locate your tiny house in an area with cold winters, you’ll need to make sure you have a heating plan in place before construction begins. Generally, there are four different ways to heat a tiny home: with wood, propane, gas or electricity. Tumbleweed Tiny House Company suggests using a small woodstove, propane heater/fireplace, gas stove, or electric heater. However, if electricity is available, the best heating option is underfloor heating because it won’t take up any of the home’s valuable space. When a house is less than 500 square feet in size, every square foot counts.
Likewise, it’s important to keep the price of the heating system in line with the low price of the home. An in-floor heating system for a 100-square-foot space costs as little as $560, depending on the product and installation method. Plus, if you were to run the system for eight hours a day, it would only cost you $0.63 a day, on average, to operate the system. To calculate pricing for various square footages and products as well as operating costs, visit www.warmlyyours.com.
Recently, a tiny house in West Haven, Utah, was able to maximize its square footage by installing a WarmlyYours Environ™ radiant heating system under its floating wood floors. With just 200 square feet of living space to work with, heating the home from underneath the floors was the best option available. With a second child on the way, the family needed as much space and as little clutter as possible, but it was also vital that the heat came in the absolute safest medium. By heating the first floor of the home with an electric in-floor system, they were able to eliminate the burn risk that would have been present with an alternative heating system such as a woodstove. The home was recently featured on an Aug. 13 episode of “Tiny House Nation.” To view the full episode, visit http://www.fyi.tv (Note: You must be subscribed to FYI channel to view the episode).
When building a tiny home, everything inside it should be tiny too — including the heating system’s footprint and pricing. That’s why WarmlyYours expects radiant heated floors to become a very popular heating method as the tiny house movement continues to proliferate in the United States and beyond.
If you’re building a tiny house, contact WarmlyYours Radiant Heating to see how much it would cost to outfit your home with invisible in-floor heating!