Hydronic radiant floor heating cost8/12/2023 ![]() Electric radiant heat can be a welcome addition to a room that the primary heating system (for example, forced air) fails to keep comfortable. While forced-air ducts collect and then distribute dust throughout the home whenever the system activates, because radiant heat is ductless, it’s also practically dustless, making it particularly appealing to those who suffer from allergies, asthma, or are simply committed to maintaining a healthy home.Īlthough they share much in common, however, electronic and hydronic radiant systems are as different as apples and oranges. Finally, and perhaps best of all, radiant heat does nothing to diminish indoor air quality. Also, with no in-room vents or bulky, space-hogging ducts, it stays out of the way, invisible, never impeding your decorating scheme. For one, in stark contrast with the jet engine-like roar of a forced-air system, radiant heat operates silently. Whether electric or hydronic, radiant heat boasts a number of compelling advantages. Because it’s ductless, radiant heat maximizes homeowner savings by minimizing, if not completely eliminating, heat loss. Notoriously prone to leakage, forced-air ducts often lose enough heat in transit to compromise a system’s overall efficiency by as much as 50 percent. That efficiency is due in large part to the fact that radiant heat involves zero ductwork. Hydronic radiant systems, meanwhile, can not only heat the entire home, but do so at least 25 percent more efficiently than forced air. ![]() Put another way, electric radiant systems are affordable so long as they are used as intended, as a means of warming otherwise uncomfortably cold flooring. But if an electric system were installed throughout the home and relied upon as the primary heat source, it would cost a fortune. In limited applications, electric systems tend not to run up the energy bill. If not, they operate via a thermostat, which causes them to activate whenever the floor temperature reaches or dips below a certain preset minimum. Measuring less than an inch thick, these slimmer panels facilitate installation within the confines of any existing residential structure.Įlectric radiant systems typically operate on a timer. For instance, Warmboard now offers a line of radiant panels specially designed for retrofit applications. Yet manufacturers are actively engaged in making hydronic systems more accessible. For that reason, HVAC technicians must be involved from the early planning stage all the way through to final installation. In other words, hydronic systems are substantially more complex. Hydronic systems, in contrast, involve a boiler, pump, and fuel lines as well as panels that slot beneath the floor. All in all, if you were planning to put in a new floor anyway, perhaps as part of a room remodel, then including an electric radiant mat will probably add just modestly to the overall project budget. Likewise, the electrical work requires nothing more than basic know-how, but you’re best off hiring an electrician unless you really know what you’re doing. Laying the cable can be a do-it-yourself project, as it’s mainly a matter of using thinset to mount the cables on the subfloor. Typically, electric radiant systems include three components-heating cables (often woven into plastic mats), a temperature sensor, and a thermostat. Ultimately, electric radiant heat succeeds as a supplement, but hydronic competes with and surpasses traditional whole-home systems. Whereas forced-air systems heat inconsistently and incompletely, hydronic radiant heat provides encompassing warmth and ensures consistent temperatures from one wall to the other and one room to the next. By circulating boiler-heated water through tubing below the floor, hydronic systems deliver cost-effective heating for the whole home, and offer a qualitatively different experience than forced air. ![]() The other type-hydronic radiant heat-works in a completely different way. For that reason, electric radiant systems can be considered a comfort luxury perfect for heating the floor, but not the home. Heating an entire house with electric radiant heat would be exorbitantly expensive, though, given that such setups rely completely on electricity, which-needless to say-doesn’t come cheap. Electrical systems are ideal for providing supplemental heat in a small room, such as a chilly master bathroom, not least because they are easy to install and incur relatively low up-front costs. Electricity heats the cables, and the cables, in turn, heat the floor. One type of radiant system relies on a network of cables installed between the floor and subfloor. There are two main types of radiant heating technologies in common use today, and they could hardly be more different.
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