Heating / September 9, 2013
Benefits of Radiant Heat
Radiant Heating System – What it is and the benefits. The term “radiant heat” is defined as a heating system which uses hot water or steam pipes, or electronic resistance coils to heat the floors, walls or the ceiling of a room. Radiant heat is comfortable, clean, energy efficient, and is an ideal solution for any new home construction or remodeling project .
Some of the benefits of installing a radiant heating system in your San Diego home are:
Comfort: Let your bare feet soak up the warmth of soothing heat without the dust and noise associated with other heating sources. Enjoy evenly distributed heat throughout your San Diego home kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and basement.
Custom Designed: Whether for supplemental floor warming, or total space heating, every radiant heating system is custom designed to fit all rooms regardless of their shape or size. Radiant heating systems will heat under any surface including marble, slate, carpet, hardwood and tile. T he compact Control Box will hang on the wall of your garage or in a utility room of your San Diego home. No heating vents or ducts will be seen, and no furnace or boiler is required to operate this system.
Perfect for Remodeling and Additions: The simplicity of the low voltage heating element makes a radiant heating system incredibly easy to install in your new addition or remodeled rooms. No floor buildup is necessary and no additional construction costs are incurred. The unique heating element can also be installed in between floor joists to heat an existing floor or room.
Safe. So safe, in fact that nails, water, and even touching the heating element during operation will have no harmful effect! You will have peace of mind while loved ones play as the systems are tested to UL standards and run on worry-free, low-voltage energy (8 to 32 V.).
Reliable: The solid-state heating systems are virtually maintenance free and the heating element is backed with a 25 year industry-leading warranty. With no moving parts and advanced self-diagnosing technology, there is no need for yearly maintenance or service checks.
Efficient: Radiant heat is presently the most efficient form of heat available. Significantly less operating time is required to maintain the desired warmth compared to furnaces and other systems, keeping operational costs to a minimal. Low-voltage radiant heating systems run 98% to 100 % efficiency at any elevation as they evenly heat every area of the room.
Convenient: Accurate thermostats allow you to easily adjust the floor or air temperature of your space heating or floor warming system. You also have the option of programming the exact time(s) of day you want your radiant heating system to operate. Simply relax, enjoy the comfort, and know that your system will work for decades to come.
So lets compare to other heating applications. Radiant Heat versus other applications:
Radiant Heat vs. Hydronics at a Glance
Both electric and hydronic radiant heat systems have certain advantages for specific applications. The following highlights the advantages low voltage radiant heat systems have:
A Boiler Room is required to run a hydronic radiant heat system. By contrast, only a 17″x12″x7″ Control Unit is required to run low voltage radiant heat system.
Gypsum or concrete slab is required for installing a hydronic system. It is estimated that it costs approx. $4.00 or more per square foot to install a hydronic in-floor heating system than it does to install a in-floor heating system.
The ZMesh heating element is installed directly under the floor surface without any floor buildup. The 12″ wide ZMesh is rolled out over the area to be heated then nailed and/or stapled to the wood subfloor.
Electric radiant heat warms your floors evenly because it uses 100% of the system’s energy. A hydronic system, however, heats the floor less the further away the hot water gets from the boiler (see illustration below). Hydronic systems use only 65-85% of the system’s energy. At higher elevations, electric radiant heat still is 100% efficient, where as hydronic systems are even less effective than at sea level.
Radiant Heat vs. Forced Air at a Glance
A room with floor Radiant In-Floor space heat will have a very uniform temperature from the ceiling to the floor. Heating a basement floor is the ideal application for a radiant heat systems. If you have ever lived in a house with forced air, you can crank the heat up, but the basement floor is still chilled. Installing a floor warming system will add comfort and warmth to your lifestyle.
A room heated with a forced air furnace will have cold floors and the warmest air at the ceiling. Although the air may be heated, the floors will be chilled and uncomfortable, especially for children playing on the floor.
This article is provided for general informational purposes only.
