Radiant floor heating is a heating system that supplies heat directly to the floor or directly to panels in the walls or the ceiling of the house. It works by the science of heat transfer. This simply involves delivering heat from a hot surface to people and objects in the room. It is also sometimes called infrared radiation. Read on to discover more about radiant floor heating.
So what is the best way to describe this type of heating? Think about the heat that you can feel from an electric burner on your stove from across the room. That is somewhat similar to the way this type of heating feels. The big difference is the heating elements are located in the floor so the heat rises up through the floor and into the room.
Radiant heating is more efficient than standard baseboard heating. Most of the time it is also more efficient than forced air heat. The big advantage is that no energy is lost through the heating ducts in the home. The heat goes to where it is most needed and keeps a room toasty warm.
Another advantage that you have to take into consideration is that this type of heating is a lot easier on people who have allergies. There is no dust and allergens flying around the room like you would find in a forced air heating system. Without these offending elements in the air, it is much easier for people with severe allergies to breathe.
There are three types of radiant floor heating systems. They are radiant air floors, electric radiant floors and hot water radiant floor heating. The type of system used in a particular home depends on a lot of things. Some of these being the price of electricity in the area or the location of the home in relation to the power grid. Read on to uncover a little more information about each type of heating systems.
The first type that we will examine is also the least cost effective of the three. This is the air heated radiant floors. This type of floor heating is rarely installed because air does not hold heat well and is therefore not a very effective means of heating a residential building.
The second type is the electric radiant floor heating system. This is the second least cost effective type of radiant heating due to the amount of electricity it takes to run this system.
The third type is the most popular and the one installed most often. It is the hydronic or liquid radiant heating system. This system involves pumping heated water though tubing that is laid underneath the floor.
So there you have the basics of radiant floor heating systems and a good overview of what is most cost effective. They can be a great way to keep warm in the cold climates.
