Did you know that radiant heating has been around since the Roman Empire? When you’ve been around for centuries, there must be a pretty good reason why. If you’re considering a new radiant heating system, HVAC system, or adding radiant floor heating, you’ve come to the right place.
From the benefits to the drawbacks, we’ll go over everything you need to know about radiant heating and how it differs from other forms of heating. Let’s jump in and see if a radiant heating system is right for you.
The Difference Between Forced Air and a Radiant Heating System
A forced-air system uses a gas furnace to blow air into ducts throughout a home or building. The air gets distributed, and your home is heated or cooled with air conditioning from top to bottom. Air conditioner repair, HVAC repair, and boiler repair are different for each system.
A radiant heating system uses water or electricity to heat a home through tubes or coils in the floor or radiator. A radiant floor heating system won’t heat your entire home, but it will keep your floors and feet toasty warm. Heat in radiators will come from coils and can completely heat your home without any vents or ductwork.
The Benefits of a Radiant Heater
Unlike forced air, radiant heating is quiet. Forced air tends to have a blowing sound in addition to the noise the system makes when it’s shutting on and off or between cycles. With radiant heating, you won’t hear any of the loud blowing.
Radiant heating is also energy efficient. If an HVAC duct is leaky or in disrepair it can leak heat and air conditioning forcing your system to work overtime. Radiant heating warms up the home from the bottom up without any waste.
Forced air can also have a drafty feeling. You may feel warm air cut through cold spots in the room. A radiant heating system gives you even heat in every room.
Without ductwork radiant heating is also more hypoallergenic. You won’t have dust, dander, and pollen building up in your ducts.
The Drawbacks of Radiant Heating
If your home doesn’t currently have radiant heating, retrofitting can be expensive. It’s much less expensive to add it to a newly constructed home. You can also put it in smaller rooms such as a bathroom to save on costs.
Radiant heating is also difficult to repair if it’s under your existing flooring. If you have radiators and a boiler already, repairing or changing these is also difficult at times. This may require replacing floors, getting new floors, and wall repair in certain areas.
Is it Time to Upgrade Your Home Heating System?
Whether you’re looking for a radiant heating system or an HVAC system, there are benefits and drawbacks to each. The decision of how to heat and cool your home is a unique one. Weigh the costs, ease of repairs, health benefits, and energy savings of each system with a professional to choose the right system for your family.
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