Radiant floor heating
Radiant heat delivers warmth without ducts and registers; heats evenly, in an energy-efficient manner; and is silent.
by Susan Brimo-Cox
has been in use for some 2,000 years you'd be right in thinking that the originators might have had a pretty good idea. Of course, the technology of radiant heat has improved through the centuries. And, today, many people are giving radiant floor heating another look as an option in commercial and residential applications.
Radiant heat delivers warmth without ducts and registers; heats evenly, in an energy-efficient manner; and is silent. There are hydronic (hot water) and electric systems.
"A lot of smaller jobs [such as baths and kitchens] and retrofits are done with electric systems," reports Hoyt Corbett, a consultant and publisher of The Radiant Flooring Guide," based in Seattle. Electric systems are growing fast, especially in conjunction with tiled floors, as the electric elements can be embedded in the thinset layer, he adds.
Most big projects are hydronic, Corbett says, because there is a better level of control with regard to water temperature and circulation. "In 2002, there was approximately 130 million square feet of [new construction] hydronic radiant flooring installed—and about half of that was installed in concrete slabs."
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