Radiant Floor Heating Blog

ThermoSoft Corrects the Fox News Video, "How to Prevent Space Heater Fires"

2014-02-10

Fox News reported that in the winter months, space heaters are the "go-to for heat-up". But what Fox omitted from the video is that electric radiant floor heat is the one fail-safe way to warm a cold room.

ThermoSoft International Corp., manufacturers of electric radiant floor heat, announced corrections to the Fox News video titled, "Four ways to help prevent a space heater fire", in the interest of transparency, full disclosure, equal time and the public's right-to-know.

According to the Fox News video, the four ways to prevent space heater fires are:

• Keep space heaters at least three feet from curtains, drapes, bedding and upholstered furniture.
• Make sure the space heater is certified by Underwriters Laboratories.
• Never leave the space heater unattended.
• Avoid using extension cords.

Despite causing 53,000 home fires in 2011, the video stated that space heaters are the "go-to" in winter months. But space heaters come up short compared to ThermoSoft electric floor heating systems when it comes to safety, comfort and energy efficiency.

Here's why. Space heaters concentrate thousands of watts of heat in one area. It's too hot near the space heater and unless one is sitting close to the space heater, it's cold and uncomfortable. Hence the high risk of fire because people often place space heaters too close to upholstered furniture and bedding where they are sitting or sleeping. Space heaters are also placed at the perimeter of the room, putting drapes and curtains at fire risk, in an attempt to blow across the middle of the room. Space heater fans cause warm air to rise to the ceiling where it is wasted and they circulate dust, dirt and other allergens.

In contrast, ThermoSoft floor heat is safely installed under the floor and evenly distributed across the room at 11-15 Watts per SF. Think of the heat from a 60-Watt light bulb spread over every five square feet of the floor. ThermoSoft is not only safe, but effective for warming the floor and the room. ThermoSoft's infrared heat does not warm the air and does not rise to the ceiling. It is attracted to people and objects so occupants feel warmer than with convection (air-blown) systems. 100% of the energy expended is used to warm the floor and the room. And, since there are no fans, Thermosoft's floor heat does not circulate dust, dirt and allergens. All ThermoSoft heating systems are UL compliant and hard-wired under the floor at installation so there is no need to worry about extension cords, leaving the floor heat unattended, or curtains, drapes, bedding and upholstered furniture. ThermoSoft floor heat systems clearly provide a superior long-term solution to winter's cold, compared to space heaters, in terms of safety, energy efficiency, health and comfort. What's more, stated Russ Dunn, VP Marketing for ThermoSoft, after over a decade in this business, I never heard of a fire started by any electric radiant floor heating system.