Radiant floor heating systems continue to increase in popularity among homeowners for a number of reasons. Many people still rely on traditional heating methods for their homes during the cooler months, but there are certain benefits only seen with radiant floor heating systems. When searching for an efficient heating system, consider these reasons for installing radiant heating in a customer’s home.

Increased Efficiency

If your customer wants a more efficient home heating system, radiant floor heating is a great solution. These systems only use the amount of energy needed to keep floors sufficiently heated with easily controlled programmable thermostats. Instead of distributing heat throughout the home through air vents, radiant heating systems are limited to the area over the surface of the floor in which they’re installed. Unlike heating systems that work to heat an entire home, radiant heating systems are typically only installed in rooms where people are often present, preventing heat energy from being wasted on empty spaces.

Traditional heating systems can result in significant heat loss because the hot air often rises above the areas it needs to heat. Radiant floor heat uses just enough energy to keep the room comfortable at all times, and can be adjusted for peak times of day to further prevent wasted energy.

Another factor that contributes to heat loss is the complex system of tubes and pipes that forced air has to travel through, leaving the potential for leakage through unseen cracks. Radiant heating doesn’t risk this kind of heat loss. These systems don’t need to run as long as conventional heating systems either, because they can achieve the desired temperature more quickly by efficiently reaching the number designated on the thermostat.

Healthier Environment

The winter can bring increased discomfort for people with allergies, asthma or other respiratory conditions. Radiant heating systems don’t consistently pump hot air into rooms like forced-air systems, which means that allergens normally found in air ducts aren’t released and spread throughout the home. Hot dry air itself can also cause irritation for many, but radiant floor heating avoids this.

Saved Energy

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the largest consumer of energy in the home is space heating, which accounts for 45 percent of energy bills on average every month. Energy-efficient programmable thermostats, particularly ones that are Energy STAR-approved, contribute to the overall efficiency of the system, potentially cutting down on electric bills by hundreds of dollars.

The design of radiant heating systems allows them to respond much faster to temperature adjustments. The reason for this is the ability to individually control the systems in each room, resulting in complete temperature changes that take place within minutes. (However, homeowners should be careful to set the thermostat to a temperature that still prevents pipes in the room from freezing.)

Enhanced Comfort

Radiant heating also saves energy by keeping the home’s inhabitants comfortably warm while the thermostat remains up to five degrees Fahrenheit cooler than other heating methods.

Conventional systems often heat rooms unevenly, which leaves many cold spots that can make certain areas of the home unpleasant. Radiant floor heating radiates up evenly, distributing heat throughout the floor and warming the people and objects in the room rather than the air. Less circulation of cold air also means much fewer of those cool breezes and drafts passing through the home.

A programmable thermostat that’s compatible with radiant floor heating can also further improve the home’s comfort levels, maintaining a constant temperature in each room where the systems are installed or turning the heat down during times when no one is home. Homeowners can ensure that each room is equally comfortable at all times throughout the year with radiant heating installed.

Quiet Heating

Apart from cleaner and more efficient heating, radiant floor heating systems also run without emitting any noise. Homeowners can enjoy quiet, comfortable heating in every room without the irritating sound of air pumping through furnaces or vents, or loud space heaters or radiators. Using radiant heating, rooms with surround sound for movies, shows and music won’t suffer a loss of sound quality from the interference that most traditional heating systems can cause.

Final Thoughts

Homeowners should first consider the configuration of their rooms to determine if radiant floor heating is the best heating method for their space. Rooms with many windows or fireplaces are subject to heat loss that can affect the efficiency of any heating system. Radiant heating manufacturers can help homeowners calculate any heat loss when quoting a system. Heat loss calculations can also determine whether radiant heat can be a primary heat source for the room. Radiant floor heating systems are installable in nearly every room, including entryways, kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, and basements.

For more information, visit www.scientificamerican.com/article/underloor-radiant-heating, energy.gov/energysaver/radiant-heating and www.oregon.gov/energy/cons/pages/res/tax/radiant.aspx.