Auxiliary heat in bathrooms
Quite often a little extra heat is needed in bathrooms. When the main heating system is an infloor system (hydronics) we have been putting a recessed toe kick heater under the cabinets. If there is no in-floor system, we have been using an electric under tile mat http://www.nuheat.com/ . We feel that these auxiliary systems can provide more comfort and reduce energy by allowing you to reduce the settings of the main house heating system.

Isolated boilers
Either the boiler is isolated from the water system and should be serviced regularly or the boiler is connected to the water system with a double check valve assembly that has to be inspected yearly. The advantage of the isolated system is that a leak in the boiler or distribution system will not manifest itself as a greater problem such as flooding or water damage.

Joe Lstiburek’s Builders Guide to Cold Weather Climates
An excellent book on structures as systems in colder regions written by the industry guru.

Unvented crawlspaces
From Joe Lstiburek and other suggestions, crawlspaces should not be vented and should not have exposed dirt. Also an article (There Oughta Be a Law, William A. Lotz ) in the March 1986 issue of The Journal of Light Construction. Most crawlspaces are vented with operable foundation vents that are supposed to be opened in the spring and closed in the winter. I would like to meet the person that does this. Most people just close them after their pipes freeze. To quote William Lotz’s article “Someone should write a building code that forbids crawl spaces. Crawl spaces are a classic compromise between a slab-on-grade and a basement that benefits no one, providing generally useless space that collects bugs, rodents, junk and debris—and serving as an infinite source of moisture for a building”. Lstiburek’s solution is insulate and install a slab.

Easy water shut off valves
Most of the houses we do are second homes. We would like to encourage people to turn off their water supply when leaving for extended periods. If you have to crawl into a crawlspace, it’s not going to happen. If all you have to do is flip a switch to a motorized valve with an automatic drain, now you’re talking.