#1 trend for 2022: the home office
“There will be an increase in home offices—homeowners are trading kitchen counters for more professional dedicated spaces. The Zoom fatigue is real, but so is the realization that the backdrop for those visual calls needs to step up.
Allocating space for a home office often involves a reset of the room’s function. For example, sitting rooms off of bedrooms or smaller family rooms are converted. Guest rooms also do double duty, with sleepers and desks.” —Jean Brownhill, founder of Sweeten
“We are all becoming more aware of how the layout and aesthetics of a room can affect our energy and productivity. Transforming a current room into your new home office space is not just a fun project, but a necessity for many people who work remotely.
When trying to boost the functionality of a home, this room may be at the forefront. People will spend more time and effort in designing a unique working space to maximize their concentration, motivation, and productivity this year.” —Farris Wu, founder and CEO at DecorMatters
“Remember the days of home offices and dining rooms being the first rooms you see when entering a home? Well, those days are back and we’re getting excited about the requests we’re getting from clients focused on creating the perfect home office space.
Once unused rooms such as secondary living spaces and breakfast rooms are now being transformed into custom office spaces with built-ins and high-tech solutions such as smart boards, projectors, and wet bars.” —Devin Shaffer, lead interior designer at Decorilla Online Interior Design
Source: KBIS
How to heat a home office or office pod
The space heater
You'll never see a space heater in a home office advertisement. And for a good reason...they aren't attractive and aren't really recommended for use in an office space.
Yet, here lies the problem with space heaters. Yes. They work. Unfortunately, they are unpredictable and not a very energy-efficient way to heat a room. As a matter of fact, the wattage of a space heater can range anywhere from 400W to 1500W.
Did you know that 1500W is like running a hair dryer on medium? Like a hairdryer, a space heater points in one direction. All that power for a small area of heating. Once the fan stops, so does the heat.
According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), heating equipment is a leading cause of fires in U.S. homes. Local fire departments have responded to an average of 52,050 fires involving heating equipment each year from 2012-to 2016, accounting for 15% of all reported home fires during this time. As a result of these fires, there were 490 civilian deaths, 1,400 civilian injuries, and one billion dollars in direct property damage.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that approximately 1,200 fires a year are caused by portable electric space heaters.
The mini-split
Another method of heating a home office or pod office is the ductless mini-split. A ductless mini-split is half a heater, half an air conditioner. On the front end, choosing a mini-split for your heating needs sounds too good to be true. So what's the catch?
Watch to find out what Lindsay thinks of using a mini-split in her home office.
This is what you will experience using a mini-split in your home office:
- Each room handles its own heating/cooling needs through the mini-split's fan and evaporator unit. However, what happens if your evaporator unit freezes up in the winter? No heat.
- While mini-splits are more affordable on the front end, in the long run, it's an efficiency nightmare.
- The only way you benefit from the mini-split's heat is if the unit is running. Meanwhile, all that fan-based air that was hitting you is now rising to the ceiling (what a waste).
- Loud. Very loud. Intrusive, too! Remember, this is a workspace. Do you really want to be interrupted by the glaring sound of a heater fan turning on and off?
- Dust. A lot of dust. To deliver its heat, a mini-split uses a powerful fan. Along with the heat, you can expect dust, dander, pet hair, and allergens to blow around the house. Get your Swiffer ready!
- Maintenance. Like your forced-air furnace, you have to maintain your mini-split, too.
- A mini-split does not heat the space evenly. Most of your heat ends up on the ceiling.
Whoa!
The mini-split is delivering a blistering 131 degrees of hot air, right out of the gate.
Just to turn around, rise and heat your ceiling. Sure, your head is 80 degrees, but what about your lower extremities? One thing is for sure, you won't need to wear a hat, hot head.
Uh oh!
Notice the temperature difference when the fan stops delivering heat? Notice that the heat will have eventually risen to the ceiling. And yet, no heat was delivered to under your desk.
When the mini-split fan stops, the heat stops.
"What's the point of having a home office if it's too cold to work in it? I just want to come in and start working...comfortably. Electric radiant floor heat lets me do that." —Sheila Branson, Entreprenuer
Electric radiant floor heat for the home office
There are two different types of radiant floor heat. One method uses hot water and tubes and the other method uses wires or film and electricity.
This radiant floor heat product uses electricity and strategically-placed
wires on a floor heat mat made of scrim. Flooring is installed atop the mat.
Electric radiant floor heat doesn't use fans to deliver its warmth. Electric floor heat uses wires that emit glorious rays of light, like sun rays without harmful UV. Electric radiant floor heat uses safe, infrared light beams that "shine" from the floor and reaches up throughout the room.
In other words, walking on radiant floor heat technology is technically walking on sunshine rays. Whatever the floor can see...it's going to heat.
This is what your clients will experience using electric radiant floor heat in an indoor or outdoor-based home office:
- Total body comfort - electric radiant underfloor heat is whole-body comfort because you are receiving warmth from floor-to-ceiling, not ceiling-to-floor like a forced-air heating system.
- Zero maintenance - Set it and forget it.
- Complete heating coverage - even heating throughout the space
- Hypoallergenic - no fans, no dust.
- Silent - no fans, no noise.
- Takes up zero space.
- It's luxurious. Once you go radiant floor heat, there is no turning back.
We'll help you 100%.
Let’s Get Ready-to-Install
When you choose to use Gold Heat, we are not only committed to a seamless ordering process and the best service to our prospects and customers.
Gold Heat offers an electric floor heat system built end-to-end so a flooring installer can quickly implement our floor heat product into their current business offerings. Gold Heat and Black Gold products are kitted and ready to install - all you need to do is open the box.
Gold Heat electric radiant floor heat products are designed for professional installation.
We do not sell direct to homeowners - ask your kitchen and bath or home remodeler or home builder to install Gold Heat products.