Radiant heating has a number of advantages. It is more efficient than baseboard heating and usually more efficient than forced-air heating because it eliminates duct losses. People with allergies often prefer radiant heat because it doesn't distribute allergens like forced air systems can.
When remodeling your bathroom, radiant floor heating is especially worth thinking about. You will save a lot on the labor cost if the flooring is being lifted up and changed anyway. The comfort and the cost savings of running the system on your heating bills will work out to your advantage in a longer run.
11 Benefits of Radiant Heating
Radiant heating is significantly more expensive to install than a forced-air system is. Radiant heating typically ranges from $14,000-$48,000 depending on the type of system (electronic, air-heated, hydronic), whereas furnace installations usually cost $4,500-$9,000 and heat pumps range from $2,500-$10,000.
Radiant floor heating cost will range from $10 - $12 per square foot— or about $600 for a typical remodeling project. This price per square foot for electric floor heating elements can go up to $30 for custom underfloor heating mats or down to $5 for large projects using floor heating cables and fixing strips.
Pros and Cons of Radiant Heat
Cons of Underfloor Heating
Cons) The sun being part of radiant energy can give you skin cancer, sun burns, and blinded eyes. Too much exposure to certain types of radiant energy can be harmful to your body. Again, the sun, radio waves being too loud for your ears.
Homeowners may also assume that because a radiant floor heating system can be viewed (and financed) as a home improvement, its installation will immediately raise their home's value. No evidence exists suggesting that in-floor heating either positively or negatively affects property values.
Cons: Radiant heating is installed beneath the floor, which makes it significantly harder to access the heating elements for repairs or maintenance. The cost of installing a radiant heating system is typically higher than forced air; installation of a radiant floor typically also takes longer to complete.
The short answer to “Can you heat your entire home with radiant floor heating”? is yes. In theory, as long as you have a floor, you can utilize radiant floor heating. The heating system goes right into the floor, heating water or using electricity in an infrastructure of pipes.
It can go under most existing flooring, including wood, tile, vinyl, and even carpet. Installing radiant floor heating in existing homes begins with aluminum tracks being screwed between the joists, which hold PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) tubing carrying hot water.
"Radiant heat is effective because it heats the air rather than blowing warm air throughout your home." ... "It is efficient because it does not feature a fan blowing heat around the room; it heats from the bottom up, which warms the feet and body first."
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