/ Floor Heating / Environ II™ / FAQ

Hopefully, by browsing this page and clicking on the questions below, you should be able to find an answer to your Environ II™ Floor Heating related problem. If that is not the case then you can visit our forum or submit a question to us using Personal Connect, available from the top menu of every screen.

1. Can I use Environ II™ floor heating system as a primary heat source?

In most cases - Yes. However, any sole source requirements should be referred to our Heat Loss Calculator
.

2. How thick are the mat and electrical cord?

The mat is 1/16" thick, and the cord is 1/4" in diameter.

3. Is there a visual height difference between carpets with the Environ II underneath and without? Will it make a crunching sound under my feet?

The height difference and sound is purely dependent on the choice of carpet and padding. Different carpets and carpet pads have different qualities and will be a determining part of height and sound.

4. How much power do I need? What are the circuitry requirements? And, how much area can I cover on one circuit?

At 12 watts per square foot, you can heat up to 150 square feet on a 120V circuit and 300 square feet on a 240V circuit.

5. Will this burn the laminate or carpet?

No it will not, as long as a licensed electrician properly installs it. We suggest setting the SmartStat™ or EasyStat™ thermostat control at a maximum of 85 degrees F when it is installed under laminate flooring. See your laminate manufacturer for their requirements regarding their product when used with electric radiant heat.

6. Do I plan for the Environ II™ to be installed directly up to the wall end to end? Can I have it installed under my couch too?

For carpet applications, we require 12" around the perimeter of the room so that a carpet stretcher can be used without damaging the Environ II mat. With laminate floors, you can install it wall to wall. We do not recommend heating under heavy pieces (100lb/ft2). And, never heat under permanent fixtures.

7. Will it provide enough heat if I only cover the central patch of the room

It will heat the area where it is installed. Go to the Heat Loss Calculator area of our webpage to confirm the area that it will heat.

8. Do I wire or tie these mats to one another?

These mats cannot be hooked to each other in series, but must be wired in parallel, directly to the controller.

9. How hot does the product get?

The thermostat can only be set to 104 degrees F.

10. What kind of electric bill can I expect monthly, after running this system?

Go to our Environ II™ Energy Use Calculator, for a calculator to see your approximate your cost.

11. What voltage should I choose for my system? Is there any difference between 120 vac and 240 vac?

A floor heating system operating on 240VAC is not more energy efficient than a system operating on 120VAC. This is a very common "Urban Myth". The power (watts) consumed to heat an area is the product of voltage, amperage, and the resistance of the heating cable. If the voltage doubles, the amp draw decreases by 1/2.  So, it requires 1/2 as many amps to operate the same load at 240VAC as compared to 120VAC.

OHMS Law states: P(watts)=V(volts) x V(volts) divided by R(resistance). P (power)= watts, V=Voltage, and R=Resistance. By applying Ohms Law, one can see that a product uses 1/2 of the amps at 240VAC as with 120VAC. The electric company charges for power (watts), NOT amps.

Different voltage rolls are manufactured with different Ohms resistances. For an example, a 60' floor heating systen in 120 volt uses 1350 watts. A 60' floor heating system in 240 volt uses 1350 watts. They are both the same square footage and therefore they both use the same number of watts.

WarmlyYours thermostat and controls have a limit of 15 amps switching ability in either 120VAC or 240VAC. With that limit of 15 amps, the upside of 240VAC is that it allows double the coverage of a 120VAC line. The downside of 240VAC is that it will require a double-pole breaker in the breaker panel, and in many homes the breaker panel is pretty full and it might not have two empty slots.

Once again, if the heated area is 100 square feet, it will cost the same to heat that area using either 120VAC or 240VAC. Both voltages use the same number of watts to heat that area. The electric company charges for power (Watts), not amps.