By Alden Smith
Advatages of Radiant Floor Heat - Outdoor Radiant Heat - Adding Radiant Floor Heat - Radiant Heat Installation
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.There are three types of home radiant heat systems, each with their advantages and disadvantages. The three types are:
1. Radiant Air Floors: In this system, the air is the medium that distributes heat throughout the home.
2. Electric Radiant Floors: This system uses electricity to heat through cables installed into the floor of the home. The electric radiant floor can also be built into the home through the use of radiant floor mats that are installed in the subflooring of the home.
3. Hydronic Radiant Heat: This system uses hot water, fired by a boiler, to heat the home. Copper tubing is often built into the floor, arranged in a grid, to produce the heat in the home.
It's important to understand radiant heat and how it works if you wish to add radiant heat to your existing home or to a new home. Radiant heat can be likened to standing in full sunshine, even on a chilly day, and allowing the heat from the sun to warm you. Heat radiated from the sun increases the temperature, allowing you to be more comfortable.
Advantages of Radiant Heat Over Other Heating Systems
In most homes, heat is supplied through convective types of heating, such as baseboard heaters and vents placed on outside walls of the interior of the home. Convection heating happens under two circumstances. In your home heating system, a fan will force warm air into the home's interior, and when the temperature dialed in is reached, the furnace kicks back down, until the thermostat once again "calls" for heat. Convection heating can be likened to steam rising from a boiling teakettle. Taking this one step further is the addition of a fan system, which gives forced air heat.
A radiant floor heat system can be much more energy efficient than these conventional home heating systems. With the forced air heating system, warm air is introduced into the living area through a system that allows the warm air to rise, leaving the ceilings warm and the floors colder. But with radiant heat, the temperature only varies 2 to 4 degrees from floor to ceiling, making the home more comfortable at a lower heat setting. The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) reports that a home with a radiant floor heat system can have the thermostat set 6 to 8 degrees cooler than the higher temperature of a typical convection or forced air heated home. This gives radiant floor heat a big advantage of cost savings through less energy usage for the same comfort level.
Another big advantage of radiant heat is the fact that humidification is not needed in the home as it generally is with a forced air system, which also lowers electrical usage costs. Because radiant heat does not change the air moisture content in the home, humidifiers are no longer necessary to maintain a comfortable living space.
The real advantage of radiant heat, though, is when you get out of bed in the morning and don't have to put your feet on a cold floor. More comfortable heat, lower energy costs to operate, and a system that is environmentally friendly are all big benefits of a home radiant floor system.
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