What Is Hydronic Radiant Heating?
Hydronic radiant heating is a very popular home heating method that has very little energy use compared to other home heating options. Hydronic radiant heating uses a liquid (water) that is heated in a boiler and then pumped under the flooring of your home through pipes.
It is by far the most popular system over forced air, or air duct systems, because air doesn’t hold heat efficiently and requires more energy to achieve the same heating results that radiant heating systems do. The hydronic heat exchanger is very efficient and superior to those of air systems. Secondly air duct systems can be bothersome to those with allergies.
There are 2 types of Hydronic radiant heating; a wet system that have tubes that are embedded in either a concrete slab, or lightweight concrete under a wood flooring system. Dry systems sandwich tubing between to wooden layers. Wet systems are more efficient by the concrete holding the heat and evenly releasing it in the room. Installing a wet Hydronic radiant heating system in an existing home is expensive, but in the case of a home remodel or new construction would provide a robust heating system that can co-exist with air ducts cooling systems.
Other radiant heating systems include electrical methods which could be in the form of electrical heating pads installed under your flooring with a reflector system below the heating pads that keep heat focused up into the room. These are expensive to install when used as a primary heating system for an entire home, but they do offer benefits for heating individual rooms such as a bedroom or other small rooms within your home. Hydronic baseboard heaters could also be an option.
Considering the benefits of Hydronic radiant heating versus electric heating are easy to understand in that while there is a larger expense associated with the installation of Hydronic radiant heating, this heating method uses far less energy than conventional electrical heating. Boilers are used to heat water that is pumped into the heating tubes. The boilers can be powered from burning wood, which would eliminate the need for gas or electricity making this heating method more cost effective in areas that are located farther from commercial electrical grids.
Another common version of Hydronic radiant heating are radiators found in older homes and apartments. These radiators get their water from central boilers. While most of these boilers are commonly heating oil, or gas operated they still provide substantial heat in colder climates and are simple to maintain. Some very old versions of the radiator system use flow valves to regulate the amount of hot water to control temperature. Hydronic radiant heating is extremely cost efficient when compared to electrical heating methods. Thus it is no surprise that this method of heating is becoming more and more popular with home owners all over.
