As often as it happens, we find it hard to believe that the old becomes new. It is true that one of the latest trends in heating the properties is installing radiant heat panels under the floor. Notably, the radiant hydronic floors have become the homeowners’ first choice when it comes to temperature control.
The technique was a thousand years ago:
The history of the radiant floors goes back thousands of years to Rome and Asia. The roman would dig the tunnel underneath the floor to fill the cavity with fire and hot stones, the smoke would channel through the dedicated pits, and the area would stay warm for a long, long time.
Why homeowners are choosing radiant floors over the conventional heating methods:
This form of heating a house has been revised a few years back. The current technology and design have evolved into something more efficient. It has now become an attractive heating alternative by building on its history and combining the conventional methods with new approaches. One of its most exciting features is the closed system, radiant floors offer us.
This is a closed and quite system:
The most important thing is the way radiant floors work. Coming up from the floor, it heats people and objects in a room rather than just the room’s air. It also makes for a more consistent temperature in a room – one part of a place doesn’t feel warmer than another.
Why conventional heating methods don’t suit homeowners anymore:
Their air is not forced in any direction in radiant heating. With this somewhat closed system, the warmth is generated quietly as compared to the other heating systems. Conventional heating methods, like blowers, usually require higher energy consumption rates. Whereas, the radiant floor panels translate into considerably lower electricity costs.
Energy efficiency is the most significant deciding factor:
We have to keep in mind that energy consumption also depends upon the fact that the system has to work for lesser hours throughout the day. You can keep the system running for a few hours, and the warmth will last for hours. Hot water radiant heat is also a more efficient system than baseboard and forced air systems because no energy is lost through ducts o the openings.
You don’t have to worry about the revolving dust and allergens:
Hydronic radiant floors can also be beneficial to allergy sufferers because the air, which is carrying the dust and allergens does not revolve within the premises. Heat radiates up from the floor, and this has nothing to the air circulation.
Arrange the room the way you like—don’t worry about the heater:
You also won’t have to arrange the furniture around the radiant floor systems. There are no heat ducts or heating units you’ll need to leave open to avoid blocking the heat. You can design your rooms in whatever way you like rather than be restricted to where you can place items.
There are three kinds of radiant floor heating systems:
Electric radiant floors:
In this particular method, the electric panels are placed underneath the floor, and the electricity provides as the primary source of heating the panels are heated with the form of power plus convection.
Radiant floors do not harm the hardwood floors:
One of the most prominent misconceptions people have about the electric radiant floor is that the wooden floor will be damaged if the heat is provided from underneath. We all know that moisture is the biggest enemy of the wood, not the heat. If your floorboards are not already rotting, they will last long, regardless of the heating system you have in your house.
Hydronic radiant floors:
Of these, it is the hydronic radiant floor systems (meaning liquid systems) that are the most popular and cost-effective. In this particular system, the water is boiled in a huge boiler and runs through the tubes underneath your floor. Since the system is more efficient than any other form of heating, you don’t have to worry about the increasing bills. The heated tubes will stay warm for long, and you won’t have to keep your system running for a more extended period.
