When is the Ideal Time to Install Radiant Heating?

You may have heard that having radiant in-floor heating installed is only an option in milder weather, because it has to be placed right in the concrete slab. This is true for hydronic systems, but electric radiant heating is another option that’s ideally suited for an existing home, and you can have it installed any time of the year.

How Electric Radiant Heating Works

Electric radiant heat systems consist of electric cables sandwiched between layers of plywood that go on top of the existing concrete slab or sub-floor, but it’s also available in rolls and mats of various sizes, where the cables are embedded in conductive plastic. The flexibility makes this type of heating a good alternative for bathrooms or individual rooms that are being remodeled, or for home additions where it’s not possible to extend an existing heating system.

Benefits of Radiant Heat

Here are some of the benefits you can enjoy by having radiant heating installed in your home.

• Constant comfort. Radiant heat doesn’t use baseboard heaters or ductwork to distribute warmth. Instead, the soothing warmth produced by the coils of electric cable radiates up through the floor itself, so it warms the walls as well as any fixtures and furniture. This allows you to enjoy a more consistent temperature without any cold spots.
• Improved air quality. Since there’s no air movement with radiant heat, there’s less dust buildup and fewer airborne allergens in the spaces where it’s installed.
• Better heating efficiency. Because there are no long, leaky ducting runs needed to deliver the heat produced by your radiant system, you can benefit from all the heat it generates without any energy waste.
• Built-in zoning. When it’s installed in individual rooms, electric radiant heat creates its own independent zone of “on demand” heating that can even be set on a timer for greater convenience.

At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues — especially HVAC and plumbing issues — so that they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.