Save Money and Energy with Electric Radiant Floor Heating

Note from Sweet Greens: The following post on saving money and energy with electric radiant floor heating is a post from Nick Johnson. Nick is an author and a contributor to Heat Tech Products, an online retailer of electric floor heating mats. Thank you for supporting the companies that help to run Sweet Greens!

Underfloor, or radiant, heating dates back to the Neolithic and Neoglacial periods, when ancient Asians and Aleutian islanders used smoke from their fires to heat trenched dug into their floors and filled with stones. The heat from the stones rose, warming the subterranean living space. Today’s radiant heating follows the same basic concept; it uses electrical coils or panels installed beneath the floor to heat the flooring itself, allowing the heat to radiate upwards into the room.

Electric in-floor radiant heating offers many benefits over traditional heating methods, for both one’s immediate environment and the larger ecosystem as well. Forced air furnaces often suffer heat loss through leaks in their duct work, essentially wasting heat and energy. Furnaces system heat cold air, releasing warm air into the room, where it rises and dissipates, leaving cold spots and causing the system to continually cycle on and off as it calls for more heat. A radiant floor system, however, only heats the floor above it, and while the warm air still rises, it does so much more slowly. The flooring itself often retains heat for hours afterward, thus requiring less energy to heat the room. If combined with the installation of a large thermal mass, such as a concrete floor, and your utility company offers time-of-use rates, the energy and money savings is even more significant. The floor is “charged” only during off-peak hours, and retains enough heat to warm the room for 8-10 hours before requiring another charge. Large furnace systems can be quite noisy as they run through their cycles; radiant floors effectively heat rooms without disturbing sound.

Another big advantage of in-floor electric heating is the reduction of allergens and pollutants. Forced air furnaces blow air through ducts and vents, picking up dust and bacteria along the way, and distributing them throughout the home. Radiant heating heats only the floor, eliminating the need for dust trapping returns and vents. Radiant floor systems also create a safer environment by reducing moisture on floors and in rooms, thereby reducing mold, dust mites, and bacteria, as well as the risk of slipping on a wet floor. Electric radiant systems are even more efficient if installed beneath masonry surfaces like tile, terrazzo, and concrete, all of which have low volatile organic compound emissions(VOCs.)

Radiant floor heat saves money-up to 40% more than radiator or forced-air systems, and is a better, safer choice for our planet as well.

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