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Why this page was created:

In May 2007, the Asthma Society of Ireland wrote an urgent letter to all parties running for election this year. The letter mentions that Ireland has the 4th highest rate of Asthma in the World and calls for an immediate, nationwide response to the issue - a copy of this letter can be read on-line here.

This web page was created in response to the growing number of inquiries regarding health and heating - it endeavours to answer some commonly asked questions and provide links to specialist resources for those who need it. Although SystemLink is not involved with health on a professional basis, we can answer some of the technical queries that people may have regarding the health benefits of the products we deal in and bring together the various bits of information currently available in one place. If you have queries or comments regarding this page please contact us. We appreciate your input.

Underfloor heating has long been acknowledged as a very asthma-friendly type of heating and has been recommended as such by various experts including:

the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (Getting Warmer by Degrees Brochure)
the Asthma Association of Tasmania (Breathe Easy not Wheezy Publication)
Blackwell Synergy (Clinical & Experimental Allergy Vol 24 - Natural variation in mite antigen density in house dust and relationship to residential factors)

This list is by no means exhaustive, but has been put together to provide some general information on the topic.

To get further advice about this topic or talk to an expert please click here

So why is underfloor heating healthier?

Underfloor heating benefits health by design - no-one sat down and said: "Hey, we're going to make this a really healthy system", it was only after it had been put together that experience taught us that underfloor heating is much healthier than conventional heating methods.

There are three reasons for this:

Underfloor heating systems are sited underneath the floor boards and radiate heat upwards into the living space - drying out the floor (and the dust that collects on the floor) in the process. Allergens such as mites and fungi require a certain amount of moisture to survive - because underfloor heating systems dry out the dust in which they live, their numbers are reduced significantly.

Conventional heating systems use hot air to heat up a house. This means that they create a continuous flow of hot and cold air around the living space, sweeping up dust from surface areas and increasing the amount of dust that is breathed in considerably. By design, underfloor heating systems provide heat through gentle radiation. This radiation does not sweep up dust in the same way that air convection (conventional) heating systems will do - thus significantly reducing the amount of air-borne allergens that get breathed in.

Human beings function better when the head is cool and the feet are warm and dry. Oriental medicine describes this as the healthiest state of the body - referring to this phenomenon as: "ZU-KAN-SOKU-NETSU" (cool head, warm feet)

Further Resources for Asthmatics
If you live with or are an Asthmatic and would like to get more information on preventing attacks at home, SystemLink recommends taking a look at the following sites:

The Asthma Society Ireland which contains a great set of resources on coping with Asthma in modern-day Ireland

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand website has a detailed "Healthy Homes" section which gives some excellent advise to the public.

To get further advice about this topic or talk to an expert please click here