Radiant floor heating systems can be either hydronic or electric. Electric radiant heating is a popular option for bathroom remodels, as you can turn the heating on a few minutes before showering to make your bathroom floor nice and toasty. However, electric radiant floor heating isn’t really an option for your entire home since it would be expensive to operate.
Hydronic heating systems, on the other hand, are a great choice for heating an entire home and are becoming increasingly popular in new home construction. You could theoretically retrofit an existing home with hydronic radiant floor heating, but this would require removing all of the existing flooring and then replacing it. As such, the only time it would really be a cost-effective or even feasible option is when performing a complete renovation. Hydronic radiant heating systems use a boiler that supplies hot water to pipes underneath all of the floors, and this type of system can provide all of the following great benefits.
Home Stays More Consistently Warm
Homes that have a forced-air heating system with a furnace often have issues with constant temperature fluctuations and cold spots. Forced-air heating systems just heat the air, which is an issue because air doesn’t retain heat all that well. This means the temperature quickly starts decreasing soon after the furnace shuts off. All of the hot air from the furnace also rises to the ceiling, which can lead to the lower parts of the room constantly being cooler. In larger rooms, you also often have issues with the areas further away from the vents never getting quite as warm.
Hydronic radiant floor heating eliminates these issues, as the pipes heat every part of the floor. The furniture and walls then absorb heat from the floors. The heat then slowly radiates out of the floors and walls to warm up the air, leading to every part of the room staying at the same temperature. Water also retains heat much better than air, which means heat will continue flowing out of the floors for quite a while after the boiler shuts off.
Highly Efficient Heating
Radiant floor heating is almost always more energy efficient than forced-air heating. This is mostly because forced-air heating systems lose lots of heat through the ductwork, which wastes a lot of energy. In fact, this heat loss often ends up wasting 20-30% of the energy the system uses. Properly insulated radiant heating systems don’t have this energy waste issue, making them less expensive to operate. Fill out our contact form to learn more!
The main drawback to radiant floor heating is that it works more slowly than forced-air heating. However, this is really only an issue if you set your thermostat too low and let your home get too cold, as then it may take a few hours for the system to bring the temperature back up. However, the lower parts of every room will still heat up fairly quickly. The room also won’t feel as cold since all of the heat radiating out of the floors will help keep you warmer even if the air temperature is still cooler.
Zone Control
Another great benefit of radiant floor heating is that you can create different heating zones for every room. This allows you to control the temperature in each room independently instead of only being able to set one temperature for the entire home. Having a zone-control system is great if you have rooms or areas of the home that tend to be colder or hotter since you can program a desired temperature for every room. It also means everyone in your family can keep their bedroom at whatever temperature they desire.
A zone-control system can also save you quite a bit of money on heating costs. If you have rooms you rarely ever use, you can keep them at a lower temperature and limit the time your boiler or electricity has to run. You can also ensure your basement always stays warm enough, which often isn’t possible with forced-air heating. Another issue with forced-air heating is that the upper floors often get too hot due to the rising heat. This is also easy to prevent with radiant floor heating since you can just set the upper floors to a lower temperature if needed.
If you’re considering radiant floor heating for your bathroom or your whole home, Waterbury Heating & Cooling, Inc. is ready to help. We’ve been serving the Sioux Falls area since 1950 and are the area’s most trusted choice for heating, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical. To learn more about how radiant floor heating can improve your home comfort, give Waterbury Heating & Cooling, Inc. a call today.
