We provide the following systems and services:

Domestic and commercial buildings:

B. Multi-residence neighborhoods:

C. Consultations:

We are also available as consultants on the subject of building physics as applied to air leakage, acoustics, and thermal performance of the building envelope. This service is provided on a case-by-case basis for owner-builders, architects and professional contractors.

Bill Fleming, CEO of Shelter Tech, is a Mechanical Engineer with 18 years hands-on experience designing and building environmental mechanical systems. He is affiliated with BETEC (Building Envelope and Thermal Envelope Council of the National Institute of Building Science), EEBA (Energy Efficient Building Association), NAHB (National Association of Homebuilders), ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers), and NSPE (National Society of Professional Engineers).

The staff at Shelter Technology has a wide range of professional backgrounds and has been personally trained by Bill to effectively deliver the best possible products and services.

We provide complete turnkey heating, cooling or ventilation systems that are integrated with the structure of your home.

Generally, we like to keep our business within an hour’s drive of our office. If your project lies much outside of that range, perhaps we can serve you by consulting with you, your architect or your contractor (see #16 below).

In certain circumstances we can include various solar aspects to some of our designs such as active solar heat collection. We can also comment on solar daytime lighting and passive solar design, as appropriate.

We don't install geothermal systems.

We prefer not to install this kind of system. We feel it is an inferior product and potentially dangerous. We highly recommend using appliances without open flames (see #26 below)

For the ultimate in heating and cooling, you must have separate systems. We use the Unico high velocity, quiet cooling system that utilizes ceiling-mounted small ducts and outlets, removes up to 30% more moisture than conventional air conditioning systems, and provides even room temperatures without cold air pockets and drafts.

Yes, on a case-by-case basis. After a brief interview is completed, a technician would have to visit the site to make sure that the installation is technically feasible.

We can, but unless you already have a warm water radiant system with an existing boiler, it generally is not cost-effective to install a separate heating system for a small area. However, if you are building a large addition to an existing structure, a separate hydronic system may be a wise choice.

No, we don't.

There is no healthier or more comfortable heating system available. In-floor radiant heating provides heat where the human body most wants it. Our bodies prefer warm feet and cool heads. Because radiant heat warms objects rather than air, the air is not dried out and you enjoy a higher environmental relative humidity, which allows your nasal passages and bronchial passages to function better. Our clients uniformly report that they are healthier and more comfortable with radiant heating systems in their homes. Generally, a radiant heating system permits a lower thermostat setting for comfort. Lower room temperatures also reduce the biological activity of molds and mildew.

Radiant heat also provides a pleasantly constant temperature. The hot and cold spots that are commonly experienced with convective heat are a thing of the past. Heating by convection means the air is warmed first, then the air warms the objects in the environment¾ a much less efficient form of heating. Because warm air rises and cool air falls, with convective heating you have just the opposite of our body’s preferred treatment: cold feet and warm heads. Many modern houses are designed with high ceilings, making it virtually impossible to comfortably heat by convective means.

Living in a home with radiant heat is like having a comfortable spring day indoors all through the winter. The heating system disappears. It is designed to set and forget. You are aware only of your comfort, not of the heating system.

The process begins with a phone call. A short conversation gives us information about the suitability of our systems for your project. We can also discuss an estimated, "ballpark" price. If both suitability and approximate price are agreeable to both parties, we then schedule a Needs Assessment meeting. At the appointed time you bring your completed building plans and all your questions. Our knowledgeable client services staff works through a comprehensive checklist to gather information about your project while also answering any questions that you might have. We pride ourselves on giving you valuable information about building an exemplary home, the result of many years’ collective experience in the building trade. The information gathered is written into a comprehensive report and sent to the engineering desk. A preliminary design is drafted and a price derived. The particulars of the project are crafted into a detailed proposal and sent to the client. If there are questions or concerns, the client makes notations on the proposal and returns it. We clarify and reissue the proposal. This process is followed until both parties are satisfied with the document. The client then signs one copy and returns it with a 50% deposit. At that time we have a contract and the project is put into the installation queue.

We do not charge for the proposal or Needs Assessment meetings. There are no additional or hidden charges other than those clearly delineated in the proposal.

An estimated price for a normal installation can be calculated between $7.50 and $8.00 per square foot of heated space for both in-floor and radiant panel installations. Other complexities involved in a project will result in additional charges. Air quality systems are assessed and priced separately.

We do not finance our contracts. Usually, a 50% deposit is due at the time of contract, 25% due with the installation of the boiler, and the final 25% due at the completion of the job.

On a case-specific basis, we sometimes agree to consult for homeowners or builders on a building project. The cost and terms are offered on the same basis. If you are interested in a consultation on your project, please submit a written explanation of your project and circumstances with as much detailed information as possible.

Studies have shown that compared to electric heat, our systems can cost 30% – 50% less, depending on the efficiency of your structure. Obviously, if your house is not very air tight, the heating efficiency is reduced.

There are several reasons for the higher efficiency of our systems:

Sick building syndrome usually occurs in commercial buildings with inadequate ventilation systems. We recommend a simple system of ventilation using building physics, that ensures a constant supply of fresh air, with a minimum of heat loss and a minimum of moisture-laden air retained in the structure to cause mildew and other unhealthy environmental conditions.

By installing high efficiency, near-silent continuous running fans in bathrooms and laundry rooms, the moist air is evacuated before it has a chance of penetrating into the rest of the house. Simple and ingenious, pressure regulated, non-electric Swedish vents are installed at opposite ends of the house¾ often in bedrooms. As the fans in the bathrooms remove moist air, the Swedish vents allow in only the required make-up air and no more. This system is an elegant and efficient means of providing healthy air movement, without drafts, and abundant fresh air with a minimum of heat loss. It is an intelligent way of regulating air quality in an efficient, airtight home.

In 13 years of installing in-floor systems, the only occurrences we have seen of any tubing breaks have been the result of tradespeople hammering or punching holes where they shouldn’t be. Though unfortunate, even those punctures can be repaired. There have been no other breaks to our knowledge.

There are two strategies that are recommended, especially if you travel in the winter and plan to leave your house unattended:

Others supply a dedicated 15-20-amp circuit for the installation of the boiler. However, the only electricity required by the boiler is for the controls and pump. A separate small pump and electronic controls operate the warm water circulation system.

If you are calculating how much electricity is necessary for emergency backup, 5 amps will be more than adequate.

We embed the tubing in concrete. There are two kinds of installations:

A) The first is a slab on grade, directly on the ground:

B) The second is a thinslab, on a second or third story:

The Wirsbo tubing we incorporate in our designs has been used in Europe for over 25 years, with a remarkable track record for reliable service. It is the unqualified leader in the industry. Extensively tested under high temperature conditions, the tubing features an oxygen diffusion layer, which prevents oxygen from entering the system and contributing to corrosion.

We generally lay them one foot apart.

We use the Endurance boiler, one of the safest and smartest boilers on the market. It has a built-in microprocessor that guarantees overall performance by monitoring the boiler, tank and flow temperatures. The Endurance is a direct venting boiler. It draws combustion air from the outdoors rather than using interior, heated house air. There is no exchange of air with the interior of the house.

The boiler, manifolds and piping usually require only a 4’ x 2½’ space. The boiler itself is very compact with an 18" x 18" footprint. Because it is extremely quiet, it doesn’t require a separate boiler room. Many clients have the boiler installed in laundry rooms or closets.

It vents horizontally and thus requires placement next to an exterior wall. The outside vent is small and inconspicuous, but should be placed away from living spaces such as decks, patios, open windows, etc.

No. The boiler supplies all of your normal domestic hot water needs. It produces 130 gallons of hot water per hour on demand.

No. All of our systems are zoned. Depending on your usage, it is possible to install a separate thermostat in every room. Our Needs Assessment process helps you determine how many zones are necessary.

We use Buderus radiators. They are high quality, wall-mounted, efficient, German-made radiators with individual Danish-made controls. If you are thinking of the old, freestanding, clunky radiators that consumed space, made lots of noise and offered only on-and-off controls, think again. The Euro-radiators are a small, sleek, attractive, quiet, and offer superb individual thermostatic controls.

They heat up and cool down very quickly, which makes them an ideal heating application for bathrooms, bedrooms, dressing rooms, and mud porches. Because the radiators offer approximately 25 percent convected heat, they are perfect under towel racks and coatracks. Imagine the luxury of warm towels and coats on those cold winter days. They are also the obvious radiant heating solution in preexisting homes. In fact, some of our clients like them so much, they’ve chosen radiators over in-floor heating in their new homes.

All types of flooring treatments are workable with in-floor heating. The following is a brief outline of flooring considerations.