How Well Do Heated Floors Work

By contrast according to roddy scheer and doug moss of scientific american the uniform heat distribution over the entire surface of a floor heats the lower half of the room enveloping inhabitants in warmth at a lower overall temperature in some cases up to 5 degrees fahrenheit cooler than a conventional heating system.

How well do heated floors work.

While all flooring materials can be used with heated floors some work more effectively than others. With an rfh system the heat from the floor warms everything it touches and radiates throughout the room from the ground up. Materials with thermal conducting properties stone concrete ceramic tile conduct transfer and hold heat effectively while withstanding high temperatures. The most cost effective system for medium to larger homes is hydronic since the amount of power it would take to heat a whole home with electric would be substantial.

Radiant heating works well with ceramic tile and vinyl but not with wood floors. With a radiant heat floor the warmth rises evenly from below so the temperature of the room is uniform from top to bottom and your tootsies never get cold. Although radiant floor cooling does exist it doesn t work quite as well because it can make floors feel damp although this can be solved with a geothermal heat pump. Radiant floor heating provides economical even heating to the entire room.

Sounds like you re enjoying the benefits of radiant floor heating. Installing underfloor electric radiant heat. Radiant floor heating rfh involves installing electric heating coils or water heated tubing under your home s floors. How warm do heated floors get.

There s two basic types of concrete floor heating hydronic and electric. Radiant heating systems work by directly warming the people and objects in a room. It does not pose a fire hazard and you won t burn yourself touching the heated floor so it s safe for children and pets to be around. Radiant floor heating keeps rooms warm doesn t make any noise and it s energy efficient.

As a guide floor heating systems increase the floor height in a room by an average of a less than 1 2 inch depending on the system you choose. Some general rules of thumb. The floor temperature can be set as high as 104 f but users will typically set it to a more comfortable range of between 80 f and 85 f and control it from a thermostat from there. And if something goes wrong.

You can heat all of your house or supplement just a room or two. Furthermore you may want to place insulation boards underneath the heating equipment to maximize efficiency potential by ensuring all the heat goes up rather than down.