Soon it will be winter in Northeast Ohio, and most people have already started heating their homes. If you’re looking to replace your heating system with one that’s more efficient and provides better comfort, you might consider a radiant heating system. Radiant heating heats a single source in your house, such as your floor, or panels in your wall or ceiling, and that heat is transferred to the rest of your home via infrared radiation, much the same way an oven heats food.
Radiant floor heating saves energy by eliminating energy losses associated with ductwork. A radiant system can be embedded directly into a solid floor (wet installation), or installed underneath the floor or between layers of flooring (dry installation). You can even purchase flooring that’s specifically designed for a radiant heat system, with grooves for tubes or wires and built-in heat diffuser plates. There are three basic types of radiant floor heating:
- Hydronic. This is the most common type of radiant floor heating. Hot water is pumped from a boiler through loops of tubing. By controlling which sections of tubing have water pumped through them, this also can be used as a zoned heating system, providing heat only to certain sections of the house as needed.
- Electric. In this system, heat comes from electric cables. Due to energy cost concerns, this option is generally only feasible if you have a concrete floor, or something similar, that can absorb and retain the heat, even after the radiant floor heating system itself is turned off. If your power company has lower rates during off hours, you may be able to “charge” your floor during the late night and early morning, then let the retained energy keep you warm during the day.
- Air-heat. This is most effective when combined with a solar air heating system. The sun heats the air, which is then circulated through the floor. Unfortunately, air doesn’t retain heat very well, so at night when you need more heat, it’s less effective.
For more home comfort advice, talk to our experts at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ve been Lorain and the surrounding area’s trusted source for quality HVAC service for more than 50 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about radiant floor heating and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area