The Radiant Heat Encyclopedia Original Article:
Types of Hydronic Radiant Heat

Thanks for stopping by our site! We hope to enlighten you about the many benefits of radiant heating with articles, links and special offers! We also invite radiant heat enthusiasts to contribute articles and information so our site truly becomes a trusted reference and lives up to the name RADIANT HEAT ENCYCLOPEDIA!!!

Featured articles: 1) All About Radiant Heat 2) Types of Hydronic Radiant Heat 3) History of Radiant Heat

A focus on the types of hydronic radiant heat

A Featured Article Exclusively on The Radiant Heat Encyclopedia!

There are two types of radiant heat, Hydronic, or hot water based and electric.

Electric radiant heat is used as floor warming, just like that coffee mug, your bathroom floor can feel warm and toasty as you step out of the shower.

Hydronic radiant heating is used as THE primary heat source for your entire home. Hot water is piped through tubing in the floor of your home, which creates the radiant heat.

There are three main ways to do hydronic radiant heat.

1. Concrete or gypsum – This system uses a concrete slab literally poured into your home (on the subfloor during construction). The tubing is buried in the concrete and hot water is pumped through it. The drawbacks of this system are several. One – it adds significant weight to the structure which requires special engineering and design. Two – It is inefficient , taking a long time to “come up to heat”. Concrete is a poor conductor of heat. Three – floor coverings can be difficult to attach (every tried to nail hardwood into concrete!)
2. Staple up – This method involves literally stapling the tubing UNDERNEATH the subfloor. Many systems use aluminum “emitter plates” in an attempt to make the system more efficient. The drawbacks of this system are several as well. First, trying to conduct heat through a wooden subfloor is just a bad idea. Wood is even worse than concrete when it comes to its conductivity. Secondly, staple up uses a lot more tubing than other systems and the labor to install is unwieldy and cumbersome.
3. The final method – and the best – involve using panel type systems on top of the subfloor or even “as the subfloor” (more on this in a bit). Panel systems are installed on top of the subfloor and often contain aluminum which is an excellent conductor of heat. These panels are installed during construction, are energy efficient and are relatively receptive to floor coverings. One company has taken this concept to a whole new level by creating a radiant panel and structural subfloor in one piece! Installed during normal construction and bonded with a thick sheet of aluminum this product is the most energy efficient and comfortable way to heat your home….period.

Wow, how much does all this cost you are asking….good question! Radiant heat is significantly more expensive to install than forced air – up to 2 or even 3 times more in fact.

There is a decision to be made here…..do you want radiant or not? If you are prepared to pay the additional cost to install radiant the payoffs can be tremendous:

Comfort – radiant heat is just more comfortable. It is invisible, silent and puts heat where you want it.

Health – Here is something people don’t always know – radiant heat is more healthy. Yup, turns out not having all that air blowing around your house is better for you! Asthma sufferers often find radiant homes better for their health. Carpet mites can’t live as well in a radiant heated home. Imagine, no more critters in your air or your carpet.

Efficiency – This is the one that is really catching on this day and age. The “green building” movement is taking off and radiant should be a big part of that. Not only is radiant heat far more energy efficient than forced air, some radiant systems are compatible with solar, geo thermal and other alternative methods of heating water.

If you are building a new home or re-modeling your existing one, take the time to check it out, compare the costs, do the homework. Radiant heat might just be the right choice for you!

A list of heating subjects can be found at our hydronic heating menu.

Radiant Heat
Special Offers

Warmboard Heats Up Antartica!
In the coldest, driest, wettest, windiest, most extreme place on Earth, Warmboard was chosen as Radiant Flooring System for U.S. Government Retrofit Application

Search Google

Learn about Radiant Heat and all things related with The Radiant Heat Encyclopedia Hot List:

Hydronic Heating
Radiant Heating
Subfloor System
Radiant Floor Heater
Structural Subfloor
Search Google