The Basics of Radiant Floor Heating
Radiant floor heating, or hydronic, is a method of heating a home or building with the heat source located in the flooring of the structure. To achieve this, piping is enclosed in a concrete foundation or in a concrete sub tile on top of a wood framework floor. Water that has been heated, or a special type of anti-freeze solution, is then cycled through the piping. This in turn heats the concrete mass, which transfers heat to the home or building. Radiant floor heating produces a consistent, even heat throughout the home.
More recently methods were developed for using electricity for floor heating versus hydronic. Electric floor heating utilizes the same principles of heating as hydronic; however, unlike hydronic, electric floor heating utilizes electric cables, or mats with interwoven cables, embedded into the flooring to produce heat. It can be used to heat an entire house, or targeted at specific rooms, such as a bathroom. Electric floor heating is easier and less expensive to install than hydronic. Hydronic methods, however, provide more versatility than electrical floor heating due to the flexibility of liquid heating sources.
With most heating systems, the warmest air is located near the ceiling, leaving chilled areas at floor level. Radiant floor heating overcomes this by producing all of its heat at floor level, warming an entire room with no heat loss at lower or floor levels. Energy use is conserved with electric floor heating due to its ability to provide a more consistent heat throughout the house or building. Although it may take longer to heat a room with radiant floor heating, once the thermal mass has been heated, it will retain heat for a long period of time without the need for additional power usage. This applies as well to a hydronic floor as the water or solution within the piping must be heated.
Cost effectiveness with radiant floor heat can depend on several factors. The type of heating method used, hydronic or electric, and how it will be used, as a primary heat source, or a supplemental. Flooring type can affect cost; wood floors require a thicker concrete mass to avoid stress from abrupt heat changes produced by a thinner concrete slab. Some experts recommend radiant floor heat should be used only as a supplemental heat along with forced air. Research is necessary to determine if radiant floor heating is right for you.
“Some experts recommend radiant floor heat should be used only as a supplemental heat along with forced air.”
What “experts” are these? The ones that only have a forced air system to offer? lol Sure, radiant heat can be used as a supplementary system – precisely because of the failings of forced air systems to deliver the level of comfort that people want. A radiant heating system, properly sized, is a superior heating system to any hot air system simply because it delivers what you want – comfort – and nothing that you don’t want such as noise, dust and inconsistent levels of warmth.
The use of radiant heat in living spaces is nothing new. The Romans used this method of heating their villas centuries ago. Hot air was forced under the floors of these villas, giving rise to the earliest form of radiant heating.
Radiant heating has been popular in Europe for several decades, and is now gaining popularity in the United States, especially in new home construction, where the system can be built in as the house is constructed. Energy efficiency in this construction is a hot topic with builders and those concerned about our dependency on fossil fuels.