The best heating system a house can have is the one you don’t realize is there. No radiators clanking in the night. No vents whooshing like a jet preparing for takeoff. No dust-spewing ductwork to run up your allergists’ bills. Just an even blanket of heat, right where you want it. Heated floors offer supreme comfort and energy efficiency, a significant advantage over traditional heating systems. This article provides an introduction to the benefits of radiant floor heating.
Efficiency and Comfort
Radiant floor heating systems offer a seamless heating experience without the noise and maintenance of radiators or forced-air systems. These systems are celebrated for providing consistent, even heat, enhancing comfort while reducing energy costs. In a radiant setup, the warmth is supplied by hot-water tubes or electric wires buried underneath the floor. As the invisible waves of thermal radiation rise from below, they warm up any objects they strike, which radiate that captured heat in turn. Though the air temperature remains relatively constant, you stay comfortable because the surrounding surfaces aren’t stealing warmth from your body.
Comparison with Conventional Heating
Tbhis heating technique eliminates these dramatic temperature fluctuations. On an icy day, the floor temperature might reach up to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike forced-air systems, the heat from radiant floors rises uniformly across the surface, ensuring that the cooler air remains near the ceiling, thus maintaining a more consistent and comfortable room temperature throughout.
Compare this to the experience with traditional forced-air heating systems found in many homes across the United States. Here, air heated to about 120 degrees Fahrenheit exits through vents, ascends to the ceiling where it loses heat, and then cools and falls. This creates layers of temperature within the room: warmth may hover over your head while your feet remain in colder zones. Additionally, these systems frequently cycle on and off. For instance, once the temperature hits the target—say, 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit—the furnace switches off. This often leads to a sensation known as “the cold 70,” felt when the heating cuts out and the air starts to cool.
Types of Radiant Floor Heating:
- Hydronic Radiant Floors: Ideal for heating entire homes, this system circulates hot water through tubing under the floor. It is the most popular and cost-effective radiant heating system, suitable for extensive applications.
- Electric Radiant Floors: Best suited for smaller spaces or single-room applications, this system uses electric cables under the flooring. It is simpler to install but generally used for spot heating due to its higher operating costs.
Hydronic Radiant Floor Heating
This is an energy-efficient heating system that transforms entire floors into a source of warmth, eliminating uneven hot and cold spots in living areas.
Functionality: Warm water circulates from a boiler through a network of flexible pipes embedded beneath the flooring.
Advantages: This system permanently removes the discomfort of cold floors while significantly reducing heating costs.
Key Features to Consider:
- Multiple Heating Zones: Allows precise control over the heat distribution in different areas of the home.
- Outdoor Reset Control: Adjusts the flow of hot water in the pipes based on external temperature changes, enhancing efficiency.
- PEX Tubing: This specially treated polyethylene tubing transports hot water and is preferred over copper for its corrosion resistance and flexibility, which minimizes the risk of leaks and allows for fewer connections.
Cost Overview: Installation costs range from $6 to $15 per square foot. Typically, expect to spend about 50% more on a hydronic radiant floor system compared to traditional forced-air heating.
Purchasing Sources: Hydronic radiant heating systems require various components that no single manufacturer provides. A qualified heating contractor, like Sunfireplumbing, is essential for assembling a system. For electric radiant systems, complete kits are readily available.
Electric Radiant Floor Heating
As an alternative to the more complex and costly hydronic system, consider electric radiant heating. This system generates heat through a thin electric wire installed directly beneath the floor’s surface. There’s no need for a boiler, water, or thick tubing that might raise the floor level.
Installation requires an electrician to connect the system to your electrical panel, but laying the wiring is as straightforward as installing tile. However, be aware of the potential increase in your electricity bill: the system’s usage of 6 to 10 watts per square foot per hour can make it expensive to heat an entire house. Therefore, it’s most effective for targeted heating, such as warming up a cold bathroom floor or a stone kitchen counter.
Conclusion
Radiant floor heating is more efficient than baseboard heating and usually more efficient than forced-air heating because it eliminates duct losses. People with allergies often prefer radiant heat because it doesn’t distribute allergens like forced air systems can. Hydronic (liquid-based) systems use little electricity, a benefit for homes off the power grid or in areas with high electricity prices. They use a wide variety of energy sources to heat the liquid, including modern condensing boilers, standard gas- or oil-fired boilers, wood-fired boilers, solar water heaters, Geo-thermal or any combination of these sources.
Floor heating is a forward-thinking choice for effective home heating, delivering unmatched comfort and efficiency. Whether upgrading a single room or installing in a new construction, these systems are a wise investment in long-term home comfort.
Credits: Content supported by insights from This Old House Radiant Floor Heating.