Radiant floor heating is actually a very old technique which was used by the Romans as early as 670 A.D., using terra cotta pipes and a wood fired boiler. Now, it is widely used in Europe, and it is starting to pick up in popularity in North America.

Radiant Floor Heating is a heating system that is installed in the floor. Warm water from a boiler, large gas or electric hot water tank is pumped through pipes under the floor. The heat from the warm water rises from the floor warming the room from the ground up.

This way it warms your feet first and when your feet are warm, people generally feel warmer.

Benefits
Since floor heating warms people up first, and not the room, generally you are comfortable at lower temperatures. Which means lower energy bills, and lower bills means more money that stays in your pockets, at least until you find something else to spend it on.

Some other benefits of in-floor heating is that, since heat rises, radiant flooring in one floor is capable of also heating the floor above it. Also, it is very children safe and aestetically friendly, as there are no radiators or baseboards to get in the way of furniture or for children to fall on. No vents for kids to drop stuff down, and nothing hot for them to touch burning themselves.

In floor heating is felt but not heard or seen. The final major benefit that I will mention here is that in-floor heating is cleaner and healthier than forced air style heating systems, there are no fans or blowers, so they are dust free systems.

Drawbacks
Like everything else in life, in-floor heating is not perfect. It does have a few drawbacks. It requires a fairly large hot water heater or boiler, which are around $30-40 a month to rent.

Installation is expensive if done by a contractor and may be a little complicated for some one with no knowledge of pluming. And although in-floor heating is almost completely maintenance free, if one of the pipes in the floor breaks, it can cause a massive amount of water damage.

I Like It
Personally, I really love in floor heating. It is so nice to get out of bed in the winter and step on a nice warm floor instead of trying to tip toe across cold hard wood or linoleum. I have stayed in a hotel that used it in the bathroom. It was designed to help keep the floor dry. For some people, the worst part about a hot shower can be that the tub is still cold until the water heats it up, but with in-floor heating, the effect is lessened greatly.

Other uses are starting to come from this very old concept. Some are heating driveways and walkways, to help keep ice and snow from building up. Also there are a few cities and towns that have basically the same idea built into bridges which enhances the community safety in a normally dangerous area..

In-floor heating has been tried, tested, and it is catching on quick. If you are thinking of a new heating system, I really suggest checking it out. It may or may not be right for you, but it works really well for my wife and I.

Image Source: Radiantec

Tags: House, House Tips, Heating Tips, Radiant Floor Heating, Radiant Heating