The concept of radiant floor heating is nothing new. Ancient Romans stayed comfortable with tended fires beneath the mortar floors of their villas. More recently in this country, visionary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed radiant floor heating into many of his iconic houses of the 1930s. Today, modern radiant heat is increasingly common in residential applications—both new construction and retrofitted into existing houses.
How It Works
Hydronic radiant systems circulate hot water through a grid of plastic tubing built into or laid atop the concrete slab, warming the floor of the room above. In electric radiant systems, electric mats somewhat like thin heating pads can be installed beneath an existing sub-floor to radiate heat upwards into a room.
3 Standout Benefits
Here are some standout benefits that make radiant floor heating an attractive option in many homes.
Gentle warmth suffusing the whole room.
Comfort provided by a heated floor is superior to forced air blown into the room through ducts. Radiant heat warms people and objects in the room and concentrates consistent heat at lower levels, maintaining a more stable room temperature. Forced air from a furnace, conversely, rises up to the ceiling and quickly cools, causing temperature swings of 20 degrees or more as the system cycles on and off.
Quiet heating and improved indoor air quality.
Radiant heat is completely silent. Unlike a forced-air system, there’s no roaring sound of air coursing through the ductwork. With radiant heating, there’s also no disturbance from rushing air stirring up dust, spores and other airborne particulates that trigger allergies and create a housekeeping issue.
More efficient operation.
Heat loss is built into forced air systems. Most residential ductwork loses at least 20% of the heat passing through the ducts due to air leakage or heat transfer. Because it requires no ducts or blower fans, a radiant floor delivers heat directly into the room above with minimal heat loss. Radiant heating costs can be as much as 20% less than forced air systems.
For more about the advantages of radiant floor heating, contact the professionals at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning.
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 other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.
Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area