A recent survey sponsored by the Propane Education & Research Council reported that 23 percent of builders surveyed intend to increase or greatly increase their use of radiant floor systems in the next 12 months. The trend is strongest in the Northeast, where 40 percent of respondents said they are likely to install more radiant floor systems, followed by the Midwest (31 percent) and the West (23 percent).

Builders cited radiant floor systems' ability to provide even heat and cleaner air with lower operating costs as the primary factors for choosing them over competing systems, but said that homeowners' acceptance of radiant heat systems seems to be on the neutral side. For more information on the survey, visit www.propanecouncil.org.