In This Post:
– What is Radiant Floor Heating?
– Types of Radiant Floor Heating
– Pros and Cons of Radiant Floor Heating
Installing a heating system is usually the last thing on a homeowner’s priority list. Generally, people don’t consider investing in a heated floor because of the hefty costs and the difficult installation process. But if you’re someone who values comfort over everything else, you’d surely not want to skip this often essential feature in your home. If you are still unsure about whether you should stick to traditional radiators to warm your home or have a radiant floor heating system, then you’ve landed on the right page as we are about to discuss the pros and cons of heated floors in the house that can help you make an informed decision.
But first, let us understand how radiant floor heating works.
How Does Radiant Floor Heating Work?
A traditional heating system simply heats up the air, which reaches the living space or different rooms in the house, warming them up. Contrary to this, a heated floor or a radiant heating system works by directly warming everything in a room – from objects to people. If warmed up toes is something you are looking for this winter season, then instead of mulling things over, immediately install a radiant floor heating system in the house.
The floor temperature can be easily set to something that is comfortable for you. A temperature that ranges between 80° F – 85° F is ideal. You can even set the temperature to as high as 104° F and adjust the temperature according to your needs and preferences through a thermostat. One of the biggest benefits of heated floors is that it gently warms up a place without affecting the overall temperature of the surrounding air.
This makes the people and the objects in a room warm but the air remains cool and comfortable. If you heat the air using a traditional heater or radiator, it makes the room stuffy and the air dry. Through heated floors, the entire flooring becomes warm slowly and gently guaranteeing you more comfort and warmth during the unforgiving chilly cold weather. The perfect example would be the ease and relief you feel when standing under a shade, as compared to standing under direct sunlight – even in winters.
There are areas in the house that are inherently cold may be because of a cement slab or tile flooring. Most of the heated floors are needed in bathrooms, basements, bedrooms and kitchens where the floors become colder. If you are wondering which of the radiant heating systems would best fit your house, you must take a look at the types of radiant heating.
Types of Radiant Heating
There are two main kinds of radiant heating, which we have discussed below.
Electric Heating
Electric floor heating systems use electric wires woven in a serpentine manner. They are easier to install as compared to their counterpart – the hydronic heating system and are considered best for a remodeling project. You might need to undergo a few structural changes when incorporating this system in your home, but if you take into consideration the factors for making structural changes when renovating a house, then you can easily install an electric floor heating system at home.
It takes less heat to heat up an electric floor. A maximum of 30-60 minutes are needed, so homeowners can turn them on and off to keep the costs down.
Hydronic Heating
Hydronic floor heating systems use pipes instead of wires and that are laid in the same serpentine pattern. They are ideal for heating the whole house but they must be installed at the time of constructing the house as it is quite difficult – almost impossible to retrofit it later. The upfront cost of installing a hydronic heating system is therefore much higher than an electric heating one and a much larger equipment to heat the floor. You would need gas lines, a pump and a boiler. However, the upfront costs are much lower when the square footage is greater. It would require less energy to heat up the floor of an entire house.
Pros and Cons of Heated Floors in the House
Home heating systems work gradually to build the temperature to the right degree in your home, warming your toes as you walk across your bedroom on a cold winter day. Although many experts agree that a radiant floor heating system is the best thing to have in the house, it may not suit every homeowner’s likes and preferences. There are various factors and different pros and cons of heated floors. So, let us discuss all the considerations for you to easily make up your mind.
Pros of Heated Floors
One of the best advantages of having a heated floor is that it is energy efficient. We have discussed some of the benefits of radiant floor heating below.
Energy efficient
Some of the biggest advantages of radiant heated floors is that it uniformly heats up the floor, as compared to forced air systems, which are not energy efficient and 30 to 40% of the energy used to heat the home is lost even before it reaches the room.
A traditional heater needs to heat up to a high temperature in order to warm up the room effectively. It is designed to work in a stop and start mechanism where it releases hot air into the room and once the temperature drops to a certain threshold, the heater starts operating again, leading to unnecessary temperature fluctuations and uncomfortable heating in the room. On the other hand, heated floors can effectively warm your floor at a much lower temperature, thus consuming far less energy than traditional heaters and making you warm under the feet where it really matters.
In a radiant heated floor, the serpentine wires that are spread evenly across the floor heat up and transfer the heating in a uniform manner. These systems take a tad bit longer to heat up the floor but no energy is lost in the process and the entire energy is spent on heating the floor.
Safe and Comfortable
The comfort you feel when walking into a room with a warm floor underneath is what makes radiant heating systems an ideal choice. Even the electric heated floors are considered safe to use and the thermostat can adjust the temperature that makes you feel comfortable. The heaters or radiators can be quite unsafe and if you have children then it could be dangerous keeping the heater in the room or else your child might accidentally touch the hot surface and burn his hands.
Contrary to the stuffy feeling you would feel in a house with traditional heaters, radiant floor heating systems gently and gradually warm up the floor.
Works with All Floor Coverings
You can install radiant heating in all the floors. Be it concrete, stone, laminate or wood, radiant heating systems work with most of the floor coverings making it a top choice for homeowners. So, whether it is the bathroom, kitchen, garage or basement, getting a radiant heating system works best.
Provides More Design Freedom
Traditional heaters are large units that, let’s admit it, look ugly in the bedroom. You can’t really play with your bedroom design with a big heater making noise to pump up hot air into the room. One of the biggest benefits of heated floors is that it hides away the duct work within the floor and there is nothing on the floor that looks ugly or uneven. Everything is well tucked away and hidden inside the floor.
Cons of Radiant Floor Heating
Just like there are two sides to a coin, there are a few disadvantages of radiant floor heating you must consider before reaching a decision.
Installation Time
A compound is laid on top of the electric flooring system which should completely dry out before the floor covering can be put in place. This means it could take up a day or two to let the floor completely dry out.
The water-based underfloor heating takes almost a week before installing the floor covering.
Installation Cost
When estimating the cost to install a radiant heating system, you must keep a reserve of PKR 1700-2500 per sq ft, depending on the kind of system you plan to choose for your home. It is expensive and a luxurious feature that only a qualified electrician or professional can connect the wires with the main power supply to keep the system working.
Depending on the number of labourers and electricians you would need the cost of connecting it to the main power supply would be much higher than the installation cost. Be prepared to spend a fortune to place a heated floor in your house.
Water-based systems are installed during the construction of the house and if it is a remodeling project, then it would cost you double the price.
Room Might Appear Smaller
The entire radiant flooring system makes the room appear smaller. The heating systems increase the floor’s height in a room by half an inch. Most homeowners use insulation boards to allow the heat to go up rather than going down. This can increase the height even further by an inch. This can reduce the height of the room considerably unless you purchase really thin cabling, which means spending more money on ordering customizable wires for your flooring.
To conclude, radiant heated floors are a good choice if you can bear with the upfront cost and the extra installation time. There is no other heating mechanism that is more comfortable and safe than a radiant heating system. We hope you would now be able to make a better decision whether heated floors are a good choice for your house or not.
In the meantime, do take a look at our detailed posts on making your home warm this winter:
- Tips on how to insulate windows in winter
- Ways to keep house warm during winters without a heater
- How to make your home warm and cosy on a budget
- Underfloor insulation in homes
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