Radiant Floor Heating System – For Maximum Home Energy EfficiencyIf you want to maximize the energy efficiency of your home, a radiant floor heating system is just one more step in the journey to reducing your home’s carbon footprint. Radiant floor heat is becoming more and more commonplace in the construction of new homes, especially ones that have a considerable amount of ground floor space, such as bungalows and ranch style homes.
Archaeologists have found ancient underground dwellings that were equipped with in-floor heating by way of trenches that were excavated in the floors and then covered with large heavy stone slabs. Hot smoke was forced through the trenches, heating the stones, which radiated the heat into the rest of the dwelling. Modern radiant floor heat systems work on the same principle, but the methods have obviously been refined considerably thanks to modern technology. There are three different types of radiant floor heating system: electric, air and hydronic, but hydronic and electric are by far the most popular due to their effectiveness. A hydronic radiant floor heating system heats the floor by circulating water or water mixed with an antifreeze-like substance through tubing that is laid inside or underneath the floor in a continuous series of loops. As the liquid circulates through the system it passes through a heat source, where it is heated before traveling though the circuit once again. An electric system heats the floor in the same manner except that instead of liquid it uses loops of metal cable or electrically conductive plastic to produce heat. Radiant floor heat is more effective than a central air system because it heats the room by heating an object (the floor) rather than the air. Instead of being blown all through the house by forced air, the heat radiates into the room from the floor up. Since heat rises, the entire home becomes warm right from the ground all the way up to the roof. Radiant heat is easier to maintain, especially when properly installed . A radiant floor heating system works best when embedded in a dense substance such as the concrete of a foundation or basement floor. It also works extremely well when laid underneath a ceramic tile floor. Ceramic tiles are also heavy and dense and conduct heat very well. They also have the ability to store the heat, so the heat isn’t quickly lost like it is when air is heated. Because of the conductivity of the thermal mass that holds the radiant heat system, less energy is required to maintain the temperature and therefore less electricity is required to heat the home. Finally, it should not be forgotten that reducing energy costs through more efficient heating reduces your home’s carbon footprint . To read more about related subjects, please follow these links:
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