Don't Be Intimidated by Radiant Heating

Sure, anything new can be intimidating, but if you are considering radiant floor heating for your own home, there's no reason to be freaked out by such a weighty decision. In fact, if you knew all the wonderful facts about radiant floor heating you would be rushing out to get it installed today and wondering why you waited so long.

Radiant floor heating is a simple and affordable way to improve your existing home heating, supplement a current furnace or fireplace, or just heat from the ground up your entire new home. Whether you are living in a home that already has the heating system in place or you are beginning the journey of home construction you can benefit from the warmth and comfort radiant heating has to offer.

Radiant heating is not a new product or trend but it if one that is picking up momentum. Helping push it along the popular track of home improvements are the recent studies showing how energy efficient radiant floor heating can be and how radiant floor heating systems can actually save you money in the long run. This sounds not only good, but great to a lot of penny-pinching consumers as we all face economic hardships. Saving money is what we're all interested in these days and finding a home heating system that can aid in our savings is rare and precious. There is no need to be intimidated by radiant heating. We are here to help walk you through the decisions you'll need to make from how much radiant heat cable to buy, to how to install it, to how to operate it once it's in place.

Why is it that people don’t often think about a type of home heating system that offers greatly enhanced comfort? Probably 90 percent of homes today have traditional forced air heating systems. It’s just the norm. If you want anything else you would have to request it specifically. Which heating system would I go for? Without hesitation, I would opt for a radiant heated floor.

This option seldom enters people’s minds when searching for a home. Well, as one who has experienced this system, radiant heat is certainly my top consideration. You can talk about efficiency and the varying types of radiant heat, but for me the enhanced comfort is all I need to know.

The difference between forced air systems and radiant floor heating systems in terms of heat distribution.

Forced air systems blow heated air into the room, usually stirring up dust and allergens in the process. The warm air then rises and the result is a nice warm -- ceiling. The gecko’s love it. With a radiant heated floor, the heat originates down low in the room (see the illustration), where we can best benefit from the warmth.

Thermostats are generally placed at a height of around 5 feet on the wall, and maintains the temperature detected at that location. With a forced air system it will be warmer above that spot and colder below.

Warm radiant floors are a different animal. Utilizing heat cable or water heated tubing installed in the floor results in an efficient, comfortably heated warm floor. For me the comfort level is in a different world than with forced air systems. When your feet are warm, you feel warm all over.

If you haven’t experienced a warm floor do yourself a favor and try it. Chances are, you’ll never go back to forced air heating systems again. 

When prospective home buyers are shopping for a new home, one of the top selling points is the type of heating system that is installed in the home. Is it natural gas, propane or electric heat in the form of wall-mounted radiators? The majority of today’s homes have a central system that utilizes natural gas or propane. Most people don’t even think about another type of heating system – one that has existed since the days of the Roman Empire – but has only recently been gaining widespread popularity. It is radiant floor heating, which produces comfortable warmth that radiates upwards from the warm floor.

It’s a shame that more people haven’t heard about radiant floor heat. A radiant heating system installed in the floor is by far the most comfortable way to heat a home.

Just about every article I have ever read on radiant heating touts the efficiency of these systems, but I wasn’t fully convinced until I installed an under-floor heating system in my home. While radiant heating systems are generally more efficient than forced air systems (more on that in a bit), the advantage I want to focus on is the enhanced comfort level that you will enjoy. I installed my radiant floor heating system in a home I built in the 90s, and I cannot overstate the supreme level of comfort that these systems provide. It seems that when your feet are warm you feel warm all over.

So, just how are floors heated? There are two primary methods used today. One is electric radiant systems where heat cable is used to provide the heat; the other is hydronic systems, which circulate heated water under the floor.

I used the hydronic radiant heating system for my home. Polybutylene tubing was attached to wire remesh and then the concrete slab was poured over the wire and tubing. A boiler heated the water, which was then circulated by a pump through the tubing installed under the floor.

While there are varying types of electric radiant heating systems, most utilize a wiring grid that is laid on the sub-floor and then the finished flooring is installed over the heating cable. (Heat cable is available in rolls as well as in pre-spaced woven mats, making installation quick and simple.)

Ceramic tile is a common material for radiant heat systems as it has a low R value. (R value describes the insulating properties of a material. It is a measure of how well the material resists the flow of heat through it, and combines the thermal conductivity and thickness into one term.) It does not isolate the heat from being transmitted through to the room. Electric floor heating systems are generally more efficient than forced air systems because the heat radiates upwards from the floor rather than rising quickly to the top of the room. Radiant heat systems also operate silently and don’t blow dust and allergens into the air.

The advantages of radiant heat are many, but the bottom line is comfort. You’re certain to feel more comfortable with a radiant system than you will with a forced air system.

Spread the word. Donate your slippers to Goodwill and enjoy the enhanced comfort level that radiant floor heating systems provide.