With radiant heating, panels are installed under a homeвЂ™s floors, which heat up on command via electricity, hot water or air. Radiant heating can also be installed outside your home, under the sidewalk or driveway to help melt ice and snow. The heat emitted by the tubing naturally radiates the room, warming all objects in it, including the floor, walls, ceiling, furniture and people. Radiant heating is a system of tubes that are installed under the floors, behind the walls or ceiling that are capable of warming up an entire house. This article briefly explains what radiant heating is and what benefits it offers. And according to Scientific American, radiant systems transmit heat on average some 15 percent more efficiently than conventional radiators. PM Engineer Magazine reports that radiant heating is growing in popularity each year in both new and retrofits across the U.S. Thousands of years later, underfloor heating has evolved into one of the fastest-growing, most cost-effective and efficient ways to heat your house. While the Romans are often given credit for creating radiant heat, in actuality, both archeology and research into ancient texts have proven that radiant heating came to be thousands of years before the Romans in Asia. Steam or hot-water pipes are placed under the floor material, behind the walls or in the ceilings, delivering heat to the surrounding space, quietly and invisibly, in a constant, uniform way.Д«elieve it or not, radiant heating is one of the oldest forms of heating known to humankind. With radiant heating, heat comes from panels installed in floors, walls or ceilings. However.Radiant heating is growing in popularity because itвЂ™s a clean, quiet, efficient, dependable, and cost-effective way to heat your home in the winter. Thereafter, it will cycle between ON and OFF and will only draw electricity during 25% to 33% of the time remaining during the ON period. Moreover, during each ON period, the electric system will only use electricity continuously for the initial period of temperature build-up. The hydronic system will be ON for many months, while the electric system will be ON-&-OFF several times a day according to the ON-OFF settings of each room thermostat. However, the real comparison needs to consider the different ways these two systems are used. Operating costs: The cost of electricity in America varies between 3 cents/kWh up to 18 cents per kWh, therefore, the cost of generating 1,000 BTU with a hydronic system may sometimes be lower than the cost of generating 1,000 BTU with an electric system.With electric systems an underground fault detector can find the exact location of the break and after breaking just one or two tiles it is easier to splice the electric cable and replace the few tiles removed. If a hydronic installation is faulty, it is difficult to find a leak and the system is difficult to repair. Electric heating systems have no moving parts and require no maintenance. Maintenance and repairs: Hydronic systems need to circulate water continuously and they use valves and manifolds, which are prone to sedimentation, mechanical problems and maintenance issues.In very large jobs (complete home in new construction), the hydronic radiant floor heating systems will often be less expensive to install. Cost of Installation: In remodeling jobs or in select rooms of a new construction hydronic systems will cost more to install.They are controlled by a timer and a thermostat and in most cases, the homeowners will preset ON-OFF cycles to provide heat only WHEN he/she needs it and WHERE he/she needs it (selecting rooms and heating from your feet up). They will heat the floor in 30 to 60 minutes under tile. Energy Saving: The electric heating mats are placed above the sub-floor, just under the flooring material.Therefore, they are left ON for many months and consume energy during a longer period of time. This is so deep into the floor that it usually takes 4 to 7 hours to heat up when they are first turned ON. Time to heat up: Hydronic systems are placed 1.5' or 2' into a cement slab.Thin electric systems will elevate the floor by only 1/8'. The hydronic floor heating system elevates the floor by a couple of inches, which can be a problem in many remodeling jobs. One difference is the floor elevation involved.What are the Advantages of Electric over Hydronic Floor Heating?

Electric radiant heat