Floor heating, A.K.A radiant floor heating, is a high end home feature and a popular trend with those building new homes, as well as in renovations that gear towards clean, comfortable, green living. Although there’s no denying radiant floor heating is a great way to stay warm, it’s also worth the extra cost and hassle just to get through the Chicago winters. Here are some common arguments either for or against radiant floor heating.
5 Benefits to radiant heated floors
Energy Efficient Heating
There are two types of radiant floor heating, electric and water based systems. Both give heat in a room from the floor up for consistent, efficient warmth. Warm water systems run hot water through pipes to create heat, whereas electric radiant floor heating heats wiring beneath the floor to generate heat.
Traditional radiators need to be heated to a high temperature (between 149-167 degrees) in order to heat up a room comfortably, whereas radiant heating only needs to run at a temperature of 84 degrees or less, depending on the floor finish, in order to warm the room – thereby consuming less energy, which helps keep your energy bills less.
Furthermore, radiators heat the air nearest them first, which is why rooms heated by radiators are prone to “cold spots”, hence that the air feels cold in the middle of the room and very hot next to the radiators, a common problem in older buildings. This usually results in opening a window which lets out energy you just paid to let in. Radiant heat provides warmth from the floor up evenly throughout the room.
To summarize, unlike traditional radiators which can make a room feel chilly at times and too warm at other times, radiant floor heating does not overheat – instead, it achieves the desired temperature set by you using an on-the-wall thermostat.
Radiant heat provides an average utility savings of 15% off heating bills.
Effortless to Run
Once installed, radiant floor heating needs virtually no maintenance and generally comes with a 30 year guarantee. The warm-up heating controllers will ensure that your heating system runs in the most energy efficient manner either automatically with a smart Wi-Fi thermostat, or, if you want, with a programmable thermostat that can be programmed to ensure the heating comes on at certain times, giving you the option to switch it off at night time.
Design Customization
With radiant floor heating, you’re able to be comfortable in your whole living space without radiators on the walls. Even the most modern radiators take up room on a wall, so think about the design freedom you have with heated floors – you can decorate the walls as you wish, or move around furniture in spaces that were otherwise taken up.
Works with all floor coverings
Radiant floor heating gives you the freedom to design your home as you wish, making the most of all the wall and floor space. And you’re still free to choose the floor type that you want as floor heating works well with laminate, wood, tile, stone, carpet and more.
Safety & Comfort
When you have a radiant floor heating system, you no longer need to worry about sharp edges or hot surfaces of radiators or the inconveniently used-up space or loud noise that often comes with radiators.
Also, radiant heat is better for the indoor air quality in a home-sized space since it keeps the air fresh and better filled with oxygen.
If you have questions about radiant floor heating, call American Weathermakers at (847) 503-9497 today!