The Role of Radiant Heat in Energy-Efficient Homes
Many homeowners and homebuilders prefer radiant heating over more traditional furnace systems that use forced air. Traditional furnace systems rely on natural gas, oil or electricity to produce warm air that travels through ducts before filling your home with energy-sapping whirring, banging, popping and rattling noises that can waste valuable resources.
Radiant floor heating keeps warm air where people are, so everyone in the home is more comfortable despite a lower thermostat setting, leading to significant cost and energy savings.
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How Do They Work?
Invisible electromagnetic infrared waves are used by radiant heat to warm surfaces like walls, floors and furniture. Any objects within their path absorb these rays and radiate them out to other nearby objects in an amazing chain reaction of warmth exchange. It’s an ingenious method for transmitting energy!
There are two kinds of radiant heating: hydronic and electric. Hydronic radiant systems use plastic pipes connected to hot water sources beneath floors to radiate heat upward, while electric radiant systems utilize heated wires embedded within the floor surface.
Here are some benefits of these systems:
Reduces Drafts
Forced air systems typically distribute their heat via ductwork, and these can leak heat. Ducts themselves also collect dust that becomes an allergy magnet; their operation can create drafts that cut through warm areas of the home and chill them off completely.
Hydronic radiant floor heating systems use no ducts, making them more energy-efficient than forced air. You can control it using a thermostat, plus they’re great green options that could earn you LEED certification or NAHB Green Home points!
Hydronic radiant floor heating uses less electricity than baseboard heaters and costs about one dollar daily to run while also being much quieter – no banging, whistling, creaking or popping noises associated with conventional heaters are present either!
Increases Comfort
Radiant heating systems don’t use air to warm objects and people; rather, it utilizes electromagnetic infrared rays which radiate upward. Radiant heat initially warms floors and furniture before spreading to other surfaces in a room resulting in more even temperatures than traditional systems.
Furthermore, radiant doesn’t require duct cleaning or other maintenance associated with forced-air HVAC systems – something especially helpful for households with severe allergies as no potentially irritating particles get dispersed throughout. Radiant is therefore an excellent choice for homes that live with allergies or asthma.
Reduces Noise, Increases Efficiency
Radiant heating provides a unique approach to home heating. Instead of blowing air around, radiant energy heats the floor and objects within a room using invisible electromagnetic infrared waves that penetrate objects to heat them gently from within and radiate them outwards as heat energy. The molecules of objects absorb this radiant energy before radiating warmth outwards.
Radiant systems are highly energy efficient when compared with traditional baseboard or forced air heating methods that rely on warming the air directly. Furthermore, radiant heaters offer greater flexibility as they can use various sources of power such as gas, wood chips, oil or solar.
Radiant heating systems are whisper-quiet; their manifolds, actuators, pumps and boilers operate quietly to bring comfort throughout a house.
Unlike forced air systems that run continuously throughout the day, radiant heating operates quietly in the background allowing for restful sleep and creating a peaceful home environment.
Increases Home Value
Like insulation, solar panels and other energy-efficient upgrades that pay off over time, radiant heat upgrades add value to a home while simultaneously decreasing fossil fuel use – good news both environmentally and for your wallet!
Radiant floor heating is a fantastic choice for building new houses and additions as well as retrofitting older properties for energy efficiency. Not only is radiant floor heating eco-friendly, it may even qualify for tax credits at both state and federal levels!
