RADIANT FLOOR HEATING

Radiant floor heating is the most efficient method of heating a home. Heat rises so it makes sense to place a heat source in the floor and let it rise naturally through a house rather than forcing it across a room from a corner, wall, or ceiling. When a heat source, such as a radiator is located against a wall of a room, it must be heated to 150 to 180 degrees in order to raise the temperature of the room to a comfortable level. In a radiant floor heating system, the heated tubing is spread under the whole floor evenly so a room can be comfortably heated by generating lower temperatures of 90 to 110 degrees. The temperature of the heating fluid is not as high, yet the room is actually more comfortable because the heat is evenly spaced and naturally spread. So you save energy and money by not generating as much heat and your heating system is quieter and more comfortable.

Radiant floor heating systems can use multiple types of heat sources. The temperature range of 90 to 110 degrees can be achieved with a water heater rather than an expensive and fuel intensive boiler. Water heaters can also be heated by solar collectors. So you can use the free, abundant energy of the sun to heat your domestic water as well as your home. Of course, the sun does not shine brightly every day, especially in the winter when the home requires heat, so solar heating systems should always have a back-up heat source, which could be electric, natural gas, oil, or wood.