Radiant Heating: A Primer

As radiant heating quietly gains popularity in homes across the country, many homeowners are unaware of this unique floor heating system. This article will explain how it works and explore some of its benefits.

What is radiant heating?

Radiant heating is a type of system that uses tubes installed underneath your home’s floors (sometimes you can install it within walls and ceilings). The heat emitted from these tubes “radiates” throughout the house, warming all objects, including furniture, walls, ceilings, floors, and most importantly, people.

Types of systems

There are three primary types of radiant heating — electric, hydronic, and air. Electric systems use wires that run through conductive plastic mats to produce heat. Hydronic systems use a tubing system to carry heated liquid underneath floors. Finally, air-powered systems use air-heated panels to produce heat.
Hydronic is the most popular and offers the best efficiency of the three.

Five key benefits

• Energy efficiency: In almost all cases, radiant heat is more efficient than baseboard and forced air systems. Radiant systems use less energy to produce the same amount of heat.
• Silent: These systems are incredibly quiet. Unlike forced air systems, you won’t hear the sound of a fan and air rushing through vents. And unlike baseboard systems, you won’t hear the telltale “cracking” sound associated with these systems.
• Consistency: The heat that a floor emits will travel upward, warming an entire room to an even temperature.
• Invisible: Radiant heating eliminates the need for unsightly baseboards, vents, and registers.
• Say goodbye to cold feet during winter: There’s nothing worse than cold floors and feet! Radiant heating eliminates this uncomfortable situation forever.

To learn more about radiant heating for your home, speak to a qualified radiant heating expert.