Radiant flooring is a popular method of heating a home. It involves installing tubing or a heating element underneath the floor. Heat is then transferred into the home through infrared radiation and convection rather than blown air. There are two major sources of radiant heating: electricity and water-based systems. This method of heat transfer provides several benefits, including the fact that it's cost-effective and friendly to those who suffer from allergies because it requires no blown air. However, it's also incredibly energy-efficient, which is a major selling point for many homeowners looking for ways to contribute to a more energy-efficient environment.

More Even Heat Distribution

Heat rises; it's a well-known fact of physics. Radiant heat is distributed evenly over the floor and so the heat it provides rises up over the entire surface, heating the lower half of the room and then rising. Other heating methods like radiators and ducts are located at one point, so the heat they exude usually rises at the source before falling and being redistributed to the room. This requires those heaters to pump out more heat at longer durations in order to keep up with the demands of comfort levels. It also means that there are spots in the room that the heat source can't reach. These cold spots may always feel colder than other places in the room. With radiant heating, there are no cold spots.

Lower Temperatures

Another benefit of the even distribution of radiant heat is that it doesn't require as hot a temperature in order to reach comfort levels. Because the source of heat is wider and more evenly distributed than a single heat source, it does the job of heating the room more efficiently. In some cases, it does this job with as much as five degrees Fahrenheit lower heat than other heating methods.

No Duct Heat Loss

Another energy efficiency that radiant heat provides is zero loss of heat through ducts. Because the heat source is installed directly into the floor and radiates heat at the source, it doesn't have to travel through air ducts to reach a vent. Any time heated air is traveling through a duct, it's losing heat. The longer it has to travel to the vent, the more heat is lost on the journey. In fact, the Department of Energy estimates that as much as 20 to 40 percent of the heat carried in a duct is lost on the journey.

To learn more about radiant floor heating, reach out to a company such as Conquer Plumbing.