Kudos to the Canadian Hydronics Council (CHC) and this country's Hydronics Industry Alliance (HIA). Both groups are attempting to raise the awareness of both consumers and builders to the benefits of hydronic heating, though at much different levels.

CHC is moving ahead with plans to launch a $2+ million "Beautiful Heat" marketing campaign North of the border, while the Hydronics Institute in the U.S. is looking into the possibility of moving its marketing arm — HIA — over to the Radiant Panel Association in an effort to its expand funding base to raise this year's $75,000 budget.

Both the Canadian and U.S. heating industry execs, however, know they are facing a fundamental problem. Aside from those in the industry, no one knows what "hydronics" is. It's a name the industry made up back in the 1950s or early 60s.

Ask anyone outside the industry and they're apt to tell you hydronics is growing vegetables in water. Few will know it's using water as the heat transfer medium in heating or cooling systems.

So what to call it? "Wet heat" conjures up puddles. "Radiant" would make sense but is now used within the industry as meaning underfloor heating (so baseboard and radiator manufacturers would probably nix that idea). But "hydronics" needs a new name. Sort of like how Chinese gooseberries were renamed kiwis in the 1950s for export marketing reasons.

Want another example? Chilean Sea Bass is now one of the most often ordered fish on restaurant menus. Guess not many folks were ordering it when it was known as Patagonian toothfish.

So, wetheads, have any ideas? Let me know and I'll pass your suggestion on to HIA and CHC.