FYI. I cleaned the carpets in my family room the other day. For no particular reason I did it barefoot. What I learned by doing it barefoot is that after the buffer passes over the carpet there is quite a bit of heat generated.
Dan,
Yes the buffer and pad do generate heat during our cleaning process. The four components of cleaning are Heat, Time, Chemical, and Aggitation.
We use a good mix of the four components in order to produce the proper results.
Heat is one of the four components I have forgotten. In regards to the buffer creating heat from friction, it would be an advantage to move the buffer slower across those high traffic areas rather than many quick passes. Keep in mind that you could damage the carpet if you let it get too dry. Good observation Dan!