Solar radiant AIR flooring is where the sun warms air that is stored in solar collectors. This air is then pushed through piping made out of any number of different materials; plastic pipe, concrete blocks laid on their sides, or layers of corrugated steel. However, most of the time radiant air floors are not really cost-effective because air doesn’t hold heat for extended periods of time. But as far as solar radiant flooring, the solar radiant air flooring tends to be the easiest to install.

Solar HYDRONIC radiant flooring systems are where heated water is pumped from a solar storage tank through tubing that is laid underneath the flooring. Single thermostats in each room will control the flow of the solar heated water through a valve and manifold into each room of your home.

In most parts of the world, there isn’t enough solar heat harvested from solar radiant flooring systems to heat a home by itself, although it’s a good supplementation to conventional heat and can reduce your heating bill by as little as ten percent to ninety percent in optimal weather.

On excessively cloudy days, when there isn’t any direct sunlight to heat the home alone, it is necessary to use a “back-up” heating system. This can be gas or oil-fueled burners, a wood stove , or even a conventional hot water heater can do the job.

Solar radiant floor heating can be a wonderful way to supplement your conventional heating and also to help cut energy costs. Solar radiant floor heating is a wonderful option for those in ordinarily mild climates, and those who are environmentally conscious. There aren’t any negative effects to the environment by using solar radiant floor heating.

Perhaps if we were to go back in history, we’d learn a lot more from the ancient Greeks and Romans about saving energy and protecting our environment. Solar radiant floor heating is a wonderful example of this.

Radiant floor heating cost is also affected by the room or house conditions. These would include: size, number of separate zoned areas required, insulation, windows, if a water heater can be used or a boiler is needed, and whether the system is going into a new or older house. Another variable would be the cost of materials used, such as copper tubing or plastic based tubing. As always, working in a remote area will cost more, and labor costs are yet another cost to consider when installing any system.

Costs are lower because you can set your thermostat a few degrees lower. Heat rises, and the radiant floor heating systems put out heat where it is most needed, at floor level, so it is concentrated lower where it is more useful. There is no need for filters, and maintenance is minimal. There are no ducts to clean, as the copper tubing is sunk into the concrete floors.

Radiant heating dates back to the ancient Romans, who channeled hot air and hot water under the floors of their homes. In Korea, hot flue gases were used the same way before being channeled out of the home. Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright used hot water in the floors of some of his homes for heating in the 1930‘s. Today, it is a popular option for new home builders. Systems can use air, electric or hot water for the heat source. Since air does not conduct heat efficiently, and electric costs can be higher, the hydronic (hot water) system is the preferred choice.

Comfort and quietness of operation are two advantages. The heat is distributed evenly throughout an area instead of settling in one area of heat flow, or rising to the ceiling too quickly. Some feel radiant systems are more pleasing aesthetically because there are no radiators or vents, and no fan noises. The radiant floor system’s relatively cool water temperatures allow new, high efficient boilers to run at their peak efficiency with water temperature ranges of 85 to 140 degrees. In some cases as high as 98% efficiency can be achieved.

Almost any floor covering can be used, however, remember that thick padding will reduce heat flow and increase costs. New technology in tubing address old problems of corrosion and leakage. Floors can also be used with a chiller to produce cooling effects. Installation into an existing home can be expensive if the floors need major work to install the tubing systems. Consider all variables on paper to calculate the real costs of radiant floor heating.

Let’s start off by talking about electric systems.  You can think of an electric system as a big electric blanket that sits underneath your floor and radiates its heat upwards.  This is a very simple and effective form of heat.  These systems are also easy to install, since they don’t require a boiler or plumbing like a hydronic system.  This makes them great for additions.  But their is one big drawback.

In particular, electricity is expensive.   If you run the floor constantly to get enough heat, you’ll run up quite the bill.  To avoid this, electric systems should be installed over a concrete slab to help absorb the heat.  This absorbed heat will radiate out throughout the day, even with the electricity turned off. If you can get cheap electricity at non peak hours, you can run the floor on the cheap power, and enjoy the heat from the slab during peak hours.  This can save quite a lot of money. If you can’t install on a slab or don’t have flexible electricity rates, this won’t work for you.

If that sounds like you, give hydronic radiant floor heating a good look. These systems employ a central boiler to pipe water all through your house, and under the floors through a network of pipes.  Since water holds heat, they are much more efficient than electric systems.  A traditional “wet”  hydronic system embeds the tubing into a concrete slab on the floor, which has the same efficient radiating effects at the electric/slab system described above, only even more efficient.

A “dry” system, alternately, places the tubing along with a series of reflectors and diffusers underneath the floor, which provides some of the benefits of the wet system in applications where it wouldn’t be practical (upper floor installations, for example).  These are not as efficient as the wet system, but they can still work well in the situations that demand them.

So, do-it-yourself, or not?  This really depends on your experience level.  If you’re not experienced in this type of work, you’re much better off with a professional.  That being said, electric radiant floor systems are much easier to install than hydronic ones.  A hydronic system should almost always be professionally installed.

Hopefully, this helps you realize what goes into installing radiant floor heating.  If all this sounds good to you, why not contact a local professional today to get an installation quote?  Many people have fallen in love with these heating systems, and I’m sure you will too once you feel their luxuriant heat rising from the floor.

Before we dive into this, lets talk about what radiant floor heating actually is.  Unlike a forced air system, which  heats air in a central furnace and pumps it through the house, in floor radiant heat uses some sort of heating element underneath the floor to provide heat that radiates upwards from the floor.  No air is being moved.

In fact, it is the non-moving air that provides some of the greatest advantages of radiant floor heating.  Heating air then moving it around the houses has several problems.  First of all, it requires ducts, which can get dirty over time.  These dirty ducts are a very common source of allergens.  This can be mitigated somewhat by means of regular duct cleaning, but this is an extra hassle and expense.  Radiant floor heating provides heat without out any added allergens.

Another advantage of these system is the evenness of the heat.  By their nature, forced air systems are intermittent, which means that they turn on and off constantly in order to provide heat for the room.  This leads to uneven heat throughout the room.  What’s worse, the heat only comes out of a small duct located in one part of the room, which leads to hot and cold spots in the room. Anyone who has lived in a house with one of these systems can tell you what I’m talking about.

Radiant floor heating solves this problem by providing heat all through the room.  Since the entire floor is radiated, there is no part of the room that isn’t warm.  This provides a startling luxurious, even heat that makes being indoors in the cold months a pleasure.  These systems are often quiet, and, if installed in the right way, quite energy efficient.

If anyone of this sounds interesting to you, be sure to learn more about these radiant in floor heating systems.  They’re not easy to install, nor are they inexpensive, but if you’re building an addition, a new house, or simply want to upgrade to a better way of heating, give these radiant systems a good hard look.

The principle behind hydronic radiant floor heating is quite simple.  Water is heated in a boiler, and pumped up through your house.  The water is piped through a series of tubes underneath your floor, which allows the heat to radiate upwards from the floor into the room.  The provides the even, consistent, quiet heat that radiant heating system are known for.

These hydronic systems are quite popular because they are more efficient in general than air or electric systems.  Since liquid holds and stores heat very well, hydronic systems are very efficient for most uses.  Of course, since they require a boiler, a plumbing system, and installation underneath the floor, they are somewhat demanding to install, particularly in an existing house.  However, if you’re building new, it can be a great option.

Another factor to consider is the fact that these systems provide no cooling.  If you’re in a climate where you’re OK without air conditioning, this could work great, but otherwise you’ll need to consider some sort of cooling system to install.  Just something to think about.

There are two main installation methods for hydronic radiant floor heating, the so called “wet” and “dry” methods.  A “wet” system has the tubing carrying the warm water embedded instead a concrete floor, whereas a dry system places the pipes in the air space underneath the floor.  This is the newer and more favored design, because it is more versatile.  It helps to understand this distinction so you can make the right decision, though.

So, if you’re looking at building or renovating your house, and you want to try a new, luxurious heating system, give radiant floor heating a good, hard look.  You may just find that it will have a very strong impact on your enjoyment of your house, thanks to its many advantages.  Contact a contractor today to learn about getting some hydronic floor heating installed in your home.  Thanks for reading.

So, how exactly does electric radiant floor heating work?  Well, you can pretty much picture it like an electric blanket that sits underneath your floor.   Electric cables run underneath your floor, and provide heat from underneath.  It’s a fairly simple concept to understand, but there a few things you should understand before taking the plunge.

First of all, since electricity is rather expensive, you need to make your electric heating system as efficient as possible.  This generally means using the system over a concrete floor base.  The concrete will soak up the energy, and radiate it out over time.  If you just put an electric radiant heating system in a wood floor, you’ll always have to have keep the power on to get heat.  This is rather expensive, and those in this situation should probably check into getting a hydronic based system instead.

One area where electric heating systems do shine, though, is for additions where running the main heating system over is not practical.  Since no boiler is needed, electric radiant heating system can be installed anywhere, without any consideration for the heating system in the rest of the house.  However, keep in mind that these systems do not offer cooling, so you’ll need a separate cooling system if you’re in a warm climate.

So, you can see that there are pros and cons to choosing an electric radiant floor heating system.  On the one hand, they are very cheap and easy to install, and provide a warm, luxuriant heat.  On the other hand, the high price of electricity coupled with their thermal inefficiency (if no heat storing thermal body is present) make them more expensive to operate in the long run.  Still, though, they can make a great choice when it comes to heating those hard to reach areas in your house.  Give it a look.

First, a word on regular forced air heating systems. This is what most people have in their house these days. These systems utilize a central heating system to heat up air and pipe it through your house using a system of ducts. This system works well much of the time, and is popular for a reason. You can get heating and cooling through the same set of ducts, and enjoy comfortable temperatures year round.

However, forced air systems have some downsides. Because the heat isn’t constant (the furnace turns on and off), you don’t always get continuous heat. Also, since the ducts in a room are only at certain spots, the heat doesn’t spread through the room extremely well, leading to uneven heating in the room. This leads to the ever dreaded “cold spots” in the room.

To help solve this problem, radiant floor heating takes a completely different approach. Rather than pumping heated air into a room, radiant heating “radiates” heat upwards from the floor, leading to comforting, even heat. This is accomplished by means of pipes full of hot water or some sort of electrical system installed underneath the flooring. For cooling, a traditional forced air duct system is used.

Radiant floor heating is considered rather luxurious for several reasons. Since the floor itself is being heated, it is a joy walking around in socks, or barefoot. The heat rises up from the floor, blanketing the room in warmth. Since the heat is coming from under every part of the room, there are few cold spots. A great system, to be sure.

The biggest downside of these systems is cost. If you’re building a new house, it isn’t too hard to get one of these systems installed, but if you’re remodeling, the effort can be very serious. This is one area where hiring a professional installer will really, really save you a lot of headache. Still, if you’re looking for the ultimate in heating systems, look no further than a radiant floor system.

If any of this interests you, be sure to read around the site to found out more. Choosing to install a radiant heating system isn’t a small decision, so be sure to consult with some qualified professionals beforehand. You will be glad you did.

First of all, a quick word on the basics of radiant floor heating. Most houses today come with forced air heating, which simply heat up air and pipes it through your house using vents. What radiant heating systems do instead is provide heat through your flooring. In a radiant floor heating system, the underside of the floor contains either electric wires or a series of tubes with hot water in them. These heat your house from the ground up, and give a much more luxurious, even heating than forced air systems do.

This site is intended to help you learn more more about these wonderful systems. Be sure to read around the site to find out more about how you too can enjoy the luxurious heat that only a radiant floor heating system can provide.