Since I tend to get “wordy”, I thought I would have some G-Man from the Department of Energy describe the different types of radiant floor heat – it won’t be as interesting but you’ll have a firm grasp of what you have to work with.īecause air cannot hold large amounts of heat, radiant air floors are not cost-effective in residential applications, and are seldom installed. I know she would love to have nice warm floors in the colder months so that she could forego socks or slippers – sort of a big deal since our house has concrete floors. My wife on the other hand hates having anything on her feet and constantly walks around barefoot. I still wonder if I would put them in my house … I am not a barefoot person inside, not sure why but I like to wear slippers. That might not sound that unusual but I do live in Texas and we are going through one of the hottest summers on record – and yet people are asking for radiant floors … that’s because radiant floors are wonderful. If the coils are cast into the foundation, both the foundation and the floor will have to be broken up when the time comes for repairs to be done.Currently I am working on three projects that all have radiant floors in some of the rooms. If the underfloor heating needs to be repaired or changed, the floor will have to be removed. Electric coils have a shorter life, but at least 20 – 25 years. The pipes used for water-based underfloor heating have a life of 40 – 50 years. The result will be that the room will be too warm and heat will thus be wasted. If the day is sunny after a cold night, the system may find it difficult to adjust itself in time, and will over-compensates for the cold of the night. High-inertia systemĪnother disadvantage of underfloor heating is that it has high inertia, so that it adjusts itself slowly to temperature changes. The windows should have a U value (thermal conductivity) of 1.2 W/m²K to perform well with underfloor heating. If your windows are not well insulated, there is risk of cold down-draughts if you install underfloor heating to replace radiators. Underfloor heating could lead to moisture migration and damage to parts of the building. If you intend to install underfloor heating in an existing house, it is always wise to entrust the work to a tradesman. ![]() Risk of moisture damage and cold down-draughts If you have clinker brick flooring, for instance, this could feel cold, which may lead to the heating being left on throughout the summer. The number of months of the year that you use underfloor heating is also of major importance to the energy consumption. But a floor at 22 degrees C does not feel particularly warm to the soles of the feet. The floor temperature need to be only 22 – 24 degrees C to achieve a room temperature of 20 degrees C. The energy consumption can theoretically be cut by underfloor heating, since you can lower the indoor temperature while retaining the sense of comfort. Underfloor heating and energy consumption Clinker brick and PVC flooring are good materials that conduct the heat from the underfloor coils to the indoor air. Parquet flooring, for instance, increases the heat losses to the ground, since the parquet restricts the heat flow through the floor. Effect of floor materialĪnother factor that affects the heat loss is the floor material used. The rule of thumb is that at least 300 mm of insulation should be provided under the coils in the foundation slab or the basement. However, you can minimize the leakage by insulating properly under the coils. If you have underfloor heating in the floor structure of the ground floor, more heat will leak into the ground than if you use radiators. ![]() If you install underfloor heating as comfort heating, the energy consumption will often be higher, since the underfloor heating is likely to be left on in the summer in order to avoid cold floors. This is generally known as comfort underfloor heating, since the electrically heated floor gives a more distinct warm feeling. Comfort underfloor heatingĮlectric coils can be installed as underfloor heating even if the remainder of the house has water-based underfloor heating. If you install underfloor heating in part of the house, a separate shunt is often required for controlling the temperature of the water flowing under the floor. If you have a water-based heating system in the house, it would be wise to decide on water-based underfloor heating. Underfloor heating may be air-based, water-based or may consist of electric coils. ![]() The amount of insulation you have under the heating coils and the flooring material you intend to use are the most important factors that determine whether or not underfloor heating will be efficient.
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