How Does Radiant Heat Work?

Tired of cold feet during Utah winter months? Upgrade your home to a modern heating solution with radiant heat and electric floor heating. This option of heat is clean, affordable, and energy efficient. Recently, there has been a higher demand for radiant heating installations in brand-new homes, as it distributes heat throughout the floor rather than it does in vents or air ducts. 

What Is Radiant Heat?

Radiant heat keeps your home warmer by transferring heat directly into the home. As the heat radiates throughout different rooms by heating the floors, this warms up the entire home in an energy-efficient way. 

The Benefits of Radiant Heating

Radiant heating is becoming more and more of a popular option among homeowners who are looking to make their home more comfortable during those colder months. Here are some benefits to investing in radiant heating for your home:

• Cleaner Solution – No need to worry about dusty vents! Traditional heating systems continue to circulate the same air throughout the entire home. Since radiant heating does not use air to heat up your living space, it can reduce allergies for those who have symptoms. 
• Safer Option – No need to worry about overheating your home as a traditional heater would!
• Adds More Comfort – As we had mentioned earlier, if you are looking for a more comfortable solution during the winter, then radiant heating is the way to go. With radiant heating, you can expect your living space to warm up faster and more efficiently throughout the entire home. 
• Energy Efficient – Radiant heat does not force warm air and uses heat to warm up the home’s objects and surfaces, which means that heat and energy does not become lost through air ducts or vents. 
• Low Maintenance – Radiant heat requires a lot less maintenance than traditional heating. This means it can work with any type of flooring. Also, the thermostat system is easy to use.
• Cost Effective – Due to lower operating costs, a longer lifespan, and increased property value, radiant heating can save homeowner’s a lot more money in the long run.
• More Quiet – Air ducts can get noisy when passing airflow. Radiant heat does not do this, making it a quieter solution. 

How Is Radiant Heating More Energy Efficient?

Radiant heat is absorbed by a person or object, this converts into heat and heats up materials even faster than traditional heating, making it more energy efficient. When traditional heat tries to heat all of the air in the room, this results in a lot of wasted energy. Radiant heat continues, even when the power is off and distributes evenly throughout the entire home.

How Does It work?

Have you noticed that when you stand outside during the summer time, your clothes become warmer? The heat you feel outside is how radiant heat works in warming up your home. Transmitted by electromagnetic waves, radiant heat uses objects in the room to consistently warm up the living space in your home. Rather than heating up the air, radiant energy heats up the objects and people in the room. This makes the heating more efficient.

Different Types of Radiant Heating

There are two types of radiant heating to consider when installing this system into your home. Consider using the right solution for your home. These are the two options to choose from:

• Hydronic – This type of heating is the most popular because of how cost-effective it is. It uses a pump to heat water under the flooring.

• Electric – Rather than using water, this system uses electricity when passing heat underneath your home’s flooring.

If you are wondering which direction to take with your home, contact your local plumbing company. 

Heating Energy Sources

Now that you know how radiant heating works, it is good to know what energy sources are used when heating up your home. The more you know, the more you can feel confident about making this investment. Here are a few of your heating energy options:

• Heat Pumps – This option uses electricity to transfer heat and is an energy-efficient option in comparison to HVAC systems.

• Electric Heat – Electricity is typically more expensive than the other sources and uses nuclear, coal, or fossil fuels to heat up your living space.

• Gas Fired Water Heater – A cost-effective solution that uses propane or natural gas to heat up your home.

• Boilers – The most common of the five heating sources that uses water and steam for passing heat through a flooring system or radiator.

• Solar Collectors – If you are looking for an environmentally friendly and long term cost-effective alternative, this source of heating uses radiation from the sun to warm up the home.

Install a Radiant Heating System in Your Home Today!

Are you ready to add a radiant heating system to your home? The professionals at Shamrock Plumbing can get the job done for you! We offer different types of installation services throughout Utah. If you are interested in adding radiant heating to your home, contact us today and ask about our plumbing services for your home or local business!