FOR HOMEOWNERS Cozy Ideas For A Wa rmer Winter, From The Ground Up (NAPSA)—Winter weather may be inevitable in many parts ie ae i of the country, but an arctic home ambience can easily be fixed. Here are a few easy tips to help “winterize” common areas both inside and out of the home: Heat Your Feet Planning to renovate a kitchen, bathroom orliving area in the next few months? One of the hottest trends in home renovationsis to add the affordable luxury of elec- Electric radiant heat beneath the floor and patio heaters are two ways to keep your home cozy during the colder months. floor. Not only does it take the chill imagine stepping onto a gently warmed floor. Even better: The cost of installing the system in an average-size bathroom typically ranges around $500 and will operate on less than 10 cents a day. A Warming Trend According to a recent study, 64 percent of Americans won’t spend an extended amount of time on their patio or deck if the temperature is 50 degrees or colder. For many people, that means they can’t use their outdoor space for several monthsof the year. One suggestion for extending the life of your outdoor space is to set up a patio heater. The latest models are capable of raising the tric radiant heat underneath the off a tile, stone, engineered wood or laminate floor, but it can also reduce winter heatingbills. One easy and cost-effective option is Nuheat. Pre-built like an electric blanket, these %” thick electric mats are embedded with thin heating wires and laid directly between the subfloor and tile. A certified electrician connects the system to your house- hold wiring, and the system can then be controlled by a seven-day programmable thermostat. Radiant heating warms the occupant, not the air in the room. This means that you can keep the thermostat at a lower temperature while getting the sameeffect as a balmy summerday, making radiant heat a popular solution for chilly basements or family rooms. So the next time you shiver as you're getting out of the shower, temperature in a 20x20-foot area up to 10 degrees, effectively insuring that most gatherings will go off without a hitch even if the temperature tumbles. In addition, in the newest models from BernzOmatic, the cen- trally located heating chamber allows for heat to be evenly dis- tributed across a person’s entire body, a major improvement over conventional umbrella-style heat- ers, which tend to overheat the head and torso while leaving legs and feet cold. The new generation of patio heaters is also safer than ever; with built-in carbon monoxide detectors and external casings that remain safe to the touch, you also don’t have to worry about leaving the heater on around small children and pets. The bottom line With the right heating acces- sories, you can be sure winter doesn’t turn your homeinto an ice- box. Instead, by finding creative ways to turn up the heat, you can make your home a cozy haven. To learn more, visit the following Web sites at www.nuheat.com and www.bernzomatic.com.
