I’ve lived my entire life in South Bend, Indiana.
While I am accustomed to the especially long, cold and snowy winters, I am not thrilled about the challenges they create.
The temperature necessitates running the heating system for approximately eight straight months. The cost can add up quickly. Plus, over five feet of snow requires a great deal of work. The driveway needs to be shoveled multiple times her day. Every time we want to go somewhere, we spend at least twenty minutes waiting for the car to heat up and the windshield to defrost. It’s very unpleasant scraping ice from the windshield and brushing snow off the hood. A couple of years ago, my family moved into a home equipped with a boiler heating system. This has been a big improvement. A boiler uses water to convey heat energy rather than air. Because of this, it provides a much more evenly distributed and gentle heating. It doesn’t cause overly dry air, introduce dust into breathing air or make any operational noises. A big advantage of a boiler heating system is the ability to set up independent zones. We’re able to adjust the temperature according to whether or not the room is occupied, its purposes and the preferences of family members. My favorite feature of the boiler is the snow melt system. We have a network of pipes installed beneath the cement of the driveway. The boiler sends hot water through those pipes, which spreads heat across the surface to melt away snow and ice. We no longer need to shovel or worry about slipping on the ice.