Radiant floor heat tubing may be laid beneath a wood or tile floor, or embedded in a concrete slab.
When your feet are warm, your whole body feels warm. That's the idea behind radiant floor heating. With this type of heating system, the entire finished floor surface is heated (by electrical cable or hot water), turning the flooring material into a giant radiator. As you might imagine, this heating technique doesn't work with wall-to-wall carpeting because carpet doesn't conduct heat very well. Radiant floor heating works best beneath tile, wood and concrete floor surfaces.
Radiant floor heating offers a few notable advantages over other types of whole-house heating systems. For one thing, the heating system is hidden, so there are no baseboard heaters or ductwork registers to deal with. Radiant floor heating is quiet, and because no air is blown around (as with a forced-air system), it's a heating system favored by people with respiratory ailments. Radiant floor heating can be very efficient in a well-insulated house, and it's possible to divide the house into different zones that can be controlled independently. The main disadvantage with radiant floor heating is that it doesn't provide a ductwork system to supply cooled air during the summertime.
If you're interested in this unobtrusive style of heating, your local Dr. Energy Saver can help. Call or click below to schedule a home energy audit or free estimate for radiant floor heating!
Electric radiant floor heating. Special electrical heat cables can be installed beneath a tile floor to provide radiant floor heat. Heat is controlled by a thermostat mounted on the room where the cable is installed. Some systems also incorporate a timer that can be set to heat the floor before you get up in the morning. Electrically heated radiant floors aren't normally used throughout a house, mainly because any form of electric resistance heat is expensive. However, an electric radiant floor is ideal for the bathroom, since the heating area is small and warm floors are greatly appreciated when you step out of the shower.
Hydronic radiant floor heating. The term "hydronic" means water-based. In a hydronic radiant floor, long runs of plastic tubing are installed beneath the finished floor, so that warm water can circulate beneath the flooring material. The water's warmth is transferred to the flooring. Hydronic radiant floor heating can be used as a whole-house heating system, since it's more energy efficient than an electrically heated radiant floor system. Different heating zones are possible, enabling homeowners to keep the heat turned down when rooms are not being used. The warm water for a hydronic radiant floor heating system can be supplied by a boiler, a tankless water heater, or even by a tank-type water heater.
The best time to install a radiant floor heating system is when a house is being built. Retrofitting this type of heating system can be difficult and expensive. In some cases, a "staple-up" installation of hot water tubing can be completed if the floor framing is open below the finished floor surface.
No matter which heating system is best for your home, Dr. Energy Saver dealers can lend a hand and properly install and maintain radiant floor heating or any other heating system. Our dealers are trained and certified in all of our proven solutions, saving you money and increasing your comfort at home. Contact your local contractor today to schedule a home energy audit or estimate for radiant floor heating!
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