Basics on Radiant
Floor and Radiant Panels Heating
Radiant heating systems are based on the heat produced at the
floor level (radiant floor heating) or in panels used in
walls and ceilings (radiant panels heating).
Radiant floor heating systems are highly prized
for the comfort they provide and can be linked to solar hot
water systems, or to geothermal heat pumps, yielding a fully
environmentally friendly solution.
Floor heating systems
There are three main types of radiant floor
heating:
1- Hot water (hydronic) under floor
heating: by far the most popular and in most cases the most
competitive and environmentally friendly solution of all radiant
heating solutions.
2 - Radiant electric floor heating
3 - Radiant air floor heating, based on
hot air: a rather marginal system, rarely used.
Hydronic/Water Radiant floor heating
Hydronic radiant floor systems are based in
heated water pumped through tubing positioned in loops at the
floor level or beneath a finished floor.
This system demands some key elements:
- A water heating system (which may be a solar
power system, a geothermal heat pump or a standard boiler)
- A set of controls (thermostats...) and pumps to driven the hot
water through tubing installed in the subfloor and to driven the
water back to the boiler to be reheated.
 This is the most popular solution in radiant
floor heating, and involves several types of installations and
variations.
See, for details:
Hydronic hot
water Radiant Floor heating
Image credit:
American Hardwood
Information Center
Electric radiant floor heating
Electric radiant floors use electric cables
inserted into the floor or mats of electrically conductive
plastic mounted onto the sub-floor (below tile, stone, marble,
laminate or engineered wood surfaces).
Since electricity tends to be expensive, hydronic
radiant floor is a much popular and environmental solution than electric radiant
floor heating.
See, for more details: Radiant
electric floor heating
Radiant Panels Heating
Radiant heating may be obtained via wall and
ceiling-mounted panels, usually electrically heated.
This system, though common, presents some
drawbacks compared to radiant floor heating.
See, for more details:
Radiant panels heating
Radiant heating and the energy source of the
system
Radiant heating can be based on a wide variety of
heating sources. It can use standard gas, electricity and other
traditional sources of energy; but it can also use environmental
sources as solar water heaters and geothermal heat pumps.
Air-Heated Radiant Floors
It’s possible to use hot air to heat the floor
(and the home through the heated floor). But this is a rather
inefficient solution: air cannot hold large amounts of heat and
these systems are seldom installed in residential buildings.
Air-heated radiant floors can be used in
conjunction with solar air solutions, but even in this case the
system is clearly disadvantageous.
Ceramic tile, wood and other coverings in radiant
floor heating
Ceramic
tile is a very common solution as a covering in radiant floor
heating: it provides an easy conduction of the heat from the
floor and it has good thermal storage properties, allowing a
lasting and stable heating…
Other common types of coverings include stone,
vinyl, carpeting or hardwood and engineered wood surfaces. Be aware, anyway:
some coverings decrease the efficiency of the system, since they
may help to insulate the floor from the room and wood covering
should be well chosen and installed.
See, for more details: Ceramic, wood
and other radiant heating floor coverings
Prices
Hydronic radiant floor heating systems aren’t exactly
cheap solutions, though prices are becoming more affordable.
Electric radiant systems and radiant panels are much cheaper
solutions (though also with a more circumscribed use).
See, for more information:
Radiant Systems Prices and Costs
Manufacturers
Warmboard,
Roth,
Rehau, Wirsbo (now
Uponor),
Zurn or
Watts are well known Radiant manufacturers. But
there are many other.
See, for more information:
Radiant heating manufacturers
Pros of Radiant Floor Systems
Radiant heating floor systems provide an
extremely high comfort. Heat is evenly distributed, and the very
fact that the heat source is at the floor level, close to our
bodies, contributes to that extra-comfort.
Because no energy is lost through ducts, radiant
floor heating is a very energy efficient system, comparatively
to baseboard heating, forced-air heating and other systems.
Environmentally, radiant floor heating can be a sound option, if
combined with solar energy.
Cons of radiant floor heating
There are some economic objections to solar
radiant heating. First of all, radiant heating… is just for
heating. The radiant systems – or at least most commercialized
radiant systems - do not offer cooling (while other
alternatives, as forced-air systems, may provide it).
Besides, they can be expensive systems, rather
redundant in many climates and in situations where active and
passive solar techniques or other energy efficient measures have
already been implemented.
The high comfort of radiant floor heating in cold
and cold-temperate climates is a fact, and you can and should
consider it if you live in those climates. But you shouldn’t
also forget that there are other alternatives, and that if you
have already implemented a tight insulation envelope in your
home, or solar techniques, it may be too expensive and rather
unnecessary to install a radiant floor heating system.
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