With Radiant Floor Heating, Cold Feet Are A Thing Of The Past

There is no better way to add to the comfort of a room than radiant floor heating. There are many benefits to this type of heating. The efficiency is outstanding and the elimination of cold feet, on the coldest of winter days, is the biggest benefit of all.

Radiant heating is very efficient because the heat rises from the floor to the ceiling. In traditional hot air systems the heated air is blown up from the floor and it immediately goes to the ceiling; where it cools and falls back down to floor. This creates a vey cold floor, and very cold feet. the heat is trapped at the ceiling and not where our bodies are.

With hot air systems the furnace heats the air to around two degrees above the setting on the thermostat, and fires back up around 5 degrees below. This is a wide heat range; for example if your heat is set to 70 it can vary from 65 to 72. That's a big difference in temperatures; it's like a see saw. Up and down all winter long.

This is definitely not the case with radiant floor heating. The heat is constant and steady with no ups and downs. Radiant heating systems heat objects in the room and not just the air. Which makes the room feel a lot warmer than it actually is.

With radiant systems the heat is close to the floor and where our bodies are. By the time the heat gets to the ceiling it has already done its job. Unlike in a forced air system which is the exact opposite.

Zone heating is the best way to save energy, and money. Turning down the heat in rooms that are not used often, and bedrooms during the day, will save up to 30% over a traditional hot air system.

If you already have a finished floor in your kitchen no need to worry. Both of these systems can be installed under the subfloor and still provide all of the benefits if were installed above the subfloor. It's just easier and cheaper to install it on top.

Here are the two types in more detail:

Electric floor heating:

Companies such as SunTouch and NuHeat offer 25 year warranties, but most will last much longer than their warranty period.

Electric radiant floor heating wire is run in a specific pattern to maximize the heating. Every manufacturer has their own directions on how far apart their system wires should be. This eliminates cold spots, and areas that do not need heating such as under cabinets and the island.

Manufacturers also have the option of having the wires attached to matting. Making the installation much simpler. The wires are already spaced out by the manufacturer to the optimal distance. The disadvantage of this is less flexibility, but most areas are not a huge problem. The matting can be cut to go around objects as long as the wire itself is not cut, or overlapped.

Some flooring materials cannot be used with electric floor heating. Solid hardwood, some laminates, and carpet cannot be used under this type of floor. But some companies such as Warmup have the option of being installed under any flooring material if special precautions are taken.

Costs for electric heating is $15 to $25 per sq ft: this is the perfect heating type for a single room or maybe a few rooms. Not cost effective for a whole house but the comfort level is much higher than hot air or electric baseboard.

Hot Water Underfloor Heating:

This is normally a whole house heating system and not just for one room of a house. The equipment necessary is too high for only one room to use this type of heating.

This radiant floor heating is more reliable than electric because any part of the system that could possibly fail can easily be replaced. The tubing itself, Pex, is resistant to oils and acids so there is little chance it would ever be harmed, other than physical damage. This is not the case with electric If the electric wire under the floor fails the whole floor needs to be replaced.

The upfront cost of hot water underfloor heating systems is is comparable to electric. The boiler, Pex tubing, zone heating controllers, floor leveling slurry, and professional installation are some costs associated with this type of heating.

The average cost of a whole house install, including the boiler and all equipment, is $6 to $15 per sq ft. If you are building a new house or renovating one, this is a good option but definitely not for the money bound. A 2000 sq ft house could cost from $12,000 to $30,000 depending on the complexity.

Hot water underfloor heating can be placed directly into a concrete slab when a house or room addition is built.

The best reason to get these floors is your feet are warm and when your feet are warm your whole body feels warm. Plus once everyone feels how great these floors are you will be the talk of the town.

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