Radiant Heat Benefits

Benefits of Radiant Floor Heating

It is estimated that 90% of homes in the United States are heated using forced air. We’re accustomed to noisy fans kicking on and off, being too hot upstairs and too cold downstairs, wrapping ourselves in extra layers only to strip them off a short time later, and constantly adjusting the thermostat to try and keep comfortable.

But imagine the alternative — exquisite warmth beneath every step. With in-floor radiant heat, there are no noisy fans blowing dust and allergens or drying out sinuses. The benefits of heated floors include completely silent heat, improved indoor air quality and a reduction in the spread of airborne illnesses and incidents of asthma. Cold floors are a thing of the past, and energy is not wasted heating air that just rises to the ceiling. Radiant floor heating uses “zoning” to control the temperature room-by-room, saving energy and maximizing comfort for every occupant. Warmboard radiant heat makes all this possible!

A typical radiant-heated home in the U.S. can expect a 25% energy savings over a conventional forced air home. This 25% savings can be attributed to several factors including parasitic losses, lower ceiling temperatures, the ability to zone the home and more. Because of its superior conductivity, Warmboard radiant infloor heat lowers water temperatures, which maximizes your boiler’s efficiency, saving you even more money every year for the life of your home.

Architects have complete liberty with design because there are no floor registers or wall or ceiling chases. Furniture can be placed anywhere without regard to registers, vents or wall radiators. And rooms with high, open ceilings and/or floor-to-ceiling windows can be heated simply and efficiently.

The Problems with Forced Air Heating Systems

Radiant heat is more effective because it eliminates so many of the issues that are inherent in forced air systems, including the following:

Energy Use and Parasitic Loss

With built-in flaws and imperfections in duct work, heat escapes the forced air system and is lost to unknown parts of your house while increased air pressure in rooms can add strain to weather stripping, causing leaks. Also, air blowers often require 9 times the amount of electricity as the pumps in radiant systems.

Higher Ceiling Temperatures

Heat doesn’t rise — but hot air does. It’s the primary reason why so much insulation is used beneath the roof. In a forced air system, hot air is pumped into a room and rapidly rises to the ceiling, which can cause a temperature swing of 10 degrees between the ceiling and the floor. This air stratification becomes worse in rooms with high ceilings. In a two-story home, the upstairs can be stifling hot while the downstairs is too cool.

Lack of Zoning Increases Energy Usage

Most forced air homes have a single thermostat to control the temperature of the entire home. These “single zone systems” are the norm because forced air is inherently difficult and expensive to control. The result is inconsistent comfort — some rooms too cool, others too hot, and rooms in direct sunlight overheat depending on the time of day.