No Excuses For Hot Or Cold Feet
More and more homes coming on the market feature radiant heating and cooling systems to warm and cool the floors.
There's nothing like having your cold feet meet a warm and cozy floor on a cool day.
A radiant heating or cooling system can make it happen through a variety of techniques.
The three types of radiant floor heat systems are: radiant air floors (air is the heat-carrying medium); electric radiant floors and hot water radiant floors.
Installation materials vary from a concrete slab floor, lightweight concrete over a wooden subfloor, and tubing attached or sandwiched under the subfloor.
Because air cannot hold large amounts of heat, radiant air floors are not cost-effective in residential applications, and are rarely installed.
Electric radiant floors use electric cables built into the floor to create warmth.
Systems that feature mats of electrically conductive plastic are also available, and are mounted onto the subfloor below a floor covering such as tile.
Because of the relatively high cost of electricity, electric radiant floors are only cost-effective if they can be used to heat a large mass capable of retaining heat.
This large thermal mass (cement slab or concrete floor) can be heated electrically during "off peak" to reduce costs.
Off-peak electric rates are usually charged from 9 p.
m.
to 6 a.
m.
The heat stored in the floor can then keep a home warm for most of the day.
Hot water or hydronic radiant floors operate using liquid to control temperature.
Liquid systems are the most popular and cost-effective radiant heating systems.
Hydronic radiant floor systems pump heated water from a boiler through tubing laid in a pattern underneath the floor.
In some systems, the temperature in each room can be controlled separately by regulating the flow of hot water through each tubing loop.
This is done by using valves or pumps and thermostats.
Ceramic tile is the most common and effective floor covering for radiant floor heating because it conducts heat from the floor and provides thermal storage because of its high heat capacity.
Common floor coverings like vinyl and linoleum, carpeting or wood can also be used, but any covering that helps to insulate the floor from the room will decrease the efficiency of the system.
If carpeting is used, it should be a thin carpet with dense padding.
Water flowing under the covered floor needs to be hotter to compensate for the floor covering.
If wood flooring is the choice, it should be laminated wood flooring instead of solid wood to reduce the possibility of the wood shrinking and cracking from the dry heat.
Floor cooling is usually combined with an air conditioning system to reach and retain a comfortable temperature and to address air quality concerns.
This combination method will also be more energy efficient and importantly, help control any humidity created by the floor cooling process.
Radiant cooling reduces temperature by absorbing the heat radiated from the rest of the room.
Most radiant cooling home applications in the United States are based on aluminum panels suspended from the ceiling or floor.
Chilled water is then circulated through panels.
To be effective, the panels must be maintained at a temperature very near the dew point, and the house must be kept dehumidified.
In highly humid climates, raising the humidity simply by opening an outside door can allow enough change in temperature to create condensation.
This is particularly true when a floor is covered by heavy carpeting.
The installation costs of radiant cooling systems are considered high if aluminum panels are used.
Radiant cooling costs rise even higher when they are combined with a central air conditioning system to control humidity.
A radiant cooling system is more economic if an existing radiant floor system already exists.
A recent Department of Energy study demonstrated that early morning cooling of a home's concrete slab, combined with night time ventilation, could shift most of the cooling load for a home to off-peak hours, reducing the electrical demand and reducing costs.
There's nothing like having your cold feet meet a warm and cozy floor on a cool day.
A radiant heating or cooling system can make it happen through a variety of techniques.
The three types of radiant floor heat systems are: radiant air floors (air is the heat-carrying medium); electric radiant floors and hot water radiant floors.
Installation materials vary from a concrete slab floor, lightweight concrete over a wooden subfloor, and tubing attached or sandwiched under the subfloor.
Because air cannot hold large amounts of heat, radiant air floors are not cost-effective in residential applications, and are rarely installed.
Electric radiant floors use electric cables built into the floor to create warmth.
Systems that feature mats of electrically conductive plastic are also available, and are mounted onto the subfloor below a floor covering such as tile.
Because of the relatively high cost of electricity, electric radiant floors are only cost-effective if they can be used to heat a large mass capable of retaining heat.
This large thermal mass (cement slab or concrete floor) can be heated electrically during "off peak" to reduce costs.
Off-peak electric rates are usually charged from 9 p.
m.
to 6 a.
m.
The heat stored in the floor can then keep a home warm for most of the day.
Hot water or hydronic radiant floors operate using liquid to control temperature.
Liquid systems are the most popular and cost-effective radiant heating systems.
Hydronic radiant floor systems pump heated water from a boiler through tubing laid in a pattern underneath the floor.
In some systems, the temperature in each room can be controlled separately by regulating the flow of hot water through each tubing loop.
This is done by using valves or pumps and thermostats.
Ceramic tile is the most common and effective floor covering for radiant floor heating because it conducts heat from the floor and provides thermal storage because of its high heat capacity.
Common floor coverings like vinyl and linoleum, carpeting or wood can also be used, but any covering that helps to insulate the floor from the room will decrease the efficiency of the system.
If carpeting is used, it should be a thin carpet with dense padding.
Water flowing under the covered floor needs to be hotter to compensate for the floor covering.
If wood flooring is the choice, it should be laminated wood flooring instead of solid wood to reduce the possibility of the wood shrinking and cracking from the dry heat.
Floor cooling is usually combined with an air conditioning system to reach and retain a comfortable temperature and to address air quality concerns.
This combination method will also be more energy efficient and importantly, help control any humidity created by the floor cooling process.
Radiant cooling reduces temperature by absorbing the heat radiated from the rest of the room.
Most radiant cooling home applications in the United States are based on aluminum panels suspended from the ceiling or floor.
Chilled water is then circulated through panels.
To be effective, the panels must be maintained at a temperature very near the dew point, and the house must be kept dehumidified.
In highly humid climates, raising the humidity simply by opening an outside door can allow enough change in temperature to create condensation.
This is particularly true when a floor is covered by heavy carpeting.
The installation costs of radiant cooling systems are considered high if aluminum panels are used.
Radiant cooling costs rise even higher when they are combined with a central air conditioning system to control humidity.
A radiant cooling system is more economic if an existing radiant floor system already exists.
A recent Department of Energy study demonstrated that early morning cooling of a home's concrete slab, combined with night time ventilation, could shift most of the cooling load for a home to off-peak hours, reducing the electrical demand and reducing costs.
