Case Study: Residential Radiant — From Cold, Moldy Basements
Uponor radiant heating systems help Saskatchewan First Nations communities transform cold, mold-prone basements into safer, healthier, and more comfortable living spaces.
Need to Know
- The Blanket of Warmth project has expanded from two homes in 2018 to more than a dozen homes across four First Nations communities in Saskatchewan.
- By integrating Uponor radiant heating systems with existing furnaces, the project addresses cold, damp basement conditions that contributed to black mold growth.
- According to the Uponor-provided case study, the installations eliminated mold and the need for space heaters while reducing utility costs, improving indoor comfort, and increasing usable living space.
Through the GF Water Foundation, several First Nations homes in Saskatchewan have improved air quality and living conditions with the help of Uponor radiant heating. Known as the Blanket of Warmth project, GF created a solution that integrates Uponor radiant systems with the homes’ existing furnaces to remove cold dampness that allowed mold spores to grow.
The first Blanket of Warmth project was completed in 2018 with just two homes. Now, with the grant from the GF Water Foundation via the OneGF Impact Fund, more than a dozen First Nation homes have the Uponor radiant system. The community partners for the project include: Cree Nation, Pasqua Cree Nation, Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation and Standing Buffalo Cree Nation.
Photos courtesy of Uponor
The Challenge: Deliver high-efficiency basement heating to Saskatchewan’s First Nations communities to eliminate cold, dampness, and the resulting black mold.
The Solution: To restore health, safety, and comfort to these communities, Aura Lee MacPherson of MacPherson Engineering Inc. collaborated with Wendell Starblanket of the Star Blanket Cree Nation to provide a solution. Recognizing the homes’ furnaces needed a retrofit to address the cold, dampness and resulting black mold in the basements, MacPherson integrated RadiantLink technology that connects the furnaces to a hydronic radiant heating system. The radiant heating system circulates warm water through Uponor helioPEX pipe that is fastened to Uponor Fast Trak knobbed mats on the basement walls. This design transfers heat to the concrete wall, surrounding the basement in a “blanket of warmth.”
Pairing RadiantLink with Uponor radiant heating eliminated cold, dampness, and black mold. The technology provided additional benefits as well, including reduced asthma and allergy symptoms, increased usable square footage in the homes, and lower utility costs. Most importantly, the system eliminated the need for space heaters, which have been known to cause house fires.
Photo courtesy of Uponor
“In the previous conditions, our basement was far too cold to occupy comfortably,” says Fred Starblanket of Star Blanket Cree Nation. “Not only has that problem been solved, but we also gained peace of mind that we are living in a safer and healthier environment. This project represents healing and providing a good life for our people.”
This case study was provided by Uponor.
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