Radiant Heating Installation Options And Efficiency Benefits

Radiant floor heating is a type of modern home comfort system that supplies heat directly to the floor of the room or area being heated. Heat rises from the floor and is transferred directly to the occupants of the room through a process called radiant heat transfer. With a radiant heating system, you are literally living and working on a heated surface, much like a stove top. Radiant heating systems make floors just warm enough to feel the warmth through stocking feet. They generate more than enough heat to provide warmth even in climates that experience many months of cold temperatures every year.The three major types of radiant heating systems are air-heated, electric and hydronic. Each has different installation characteristics; Depending on the size of space being conditioned, electric and hydronic are the most common form used in residential applications.

Air-heated radiant heating works by heating a layer of air beneath the surface of the floor, which then heats the floor itself and transfers warmth.

Electricity systems generate heat with system of electric cables installed directly into the floor itself. These systems are for smaller bathroom type areas which use a large mat of electrically conductive plastic installed into a subfloor beneath a covering of flooring material

Hydronic systems create heat by pumping hot water through a system of pipes and tubes embedded in the concrete of the floor itself. An electric or fossil fuel-powered boiler supplies the heated water. The water tubes can also be installed within a layer of gypsum or concrete place on top of an existing floor or subfloor.

Ceramic tile is the best type of floor covering to use if you have a radiant heating system, since tile is a good conductor of heat. If you’d prefer to use carpet, make sure you install a thin type of carpet with dense padding between the carpet and floor surface.

Since 1983, Overland Park Heating & Cooling has provided reliable residential, commercial and industrial heating and cooling services to customers in Overland Park, Johnson County and the greater Kansas City area. Contact us todayfor answers to your questions about radiant floor heating and whether it is right for your home.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about radiant heating and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Overland Park Heating & Cooling services Overland Park and surrounding areas in Kansas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today