Floors Warm Up to Radiant Heat
Toasty toes and money saved are just two benefits of radiant heat under your concrete, wood or tile floors
Lindsey M. Roberts
April 19, 2012
I write about interior design and architecture, and take what I learn into my own home (you may find me sanding and painting a kitchen table on the weekends). You can find my articles, published in Apartment Therapy, Architect, Eco-Structure, GRAY, Preservation, The Washington Post and more, at lindseymroberts.com.
I write about interior design and architecture, and take what I learn into my own... More
Because altruistic ideas can often be impractical, I believe that the best reasons to use sustainable features in a home are to save money or for the pleasure of the occupants. (Saving energy is an important side effect.)
But for one feature that checks all three boxes, consider radiant heating. On a cold, rainy day, there's nothing that feels better upon waking than putting bare feet onto a warm floor heated by a radiant in-floor system.
Rather than rely on inefficient forced-air systems — which start with cold outside air, and then must expend energy to heat it before moving it inside — radiant heating uses a warm surface to transfer heat into a space. It's much like shining a light on a wall. And as we learned in physics class, warm air rises, so a heated floor soon means a heated room.
In general, there are two types of radiant heating systems, according the National Association of Home Builders: dry-system radiant tubing, with electric-powered tubes positioned above the floor and in between two layers of plywood, or under the subfloor; and hydronic radiant-floor systems, with looped tubes pumping heater water beneath the finished floor. The water is heated by gas, wood or oil boilers; solar water heaters; or a combination of sources. Hydronic systems tend to be the most efficient, says the U.S. Department of Energy.
But for one feature that checks all three boxes, consider radiant heating. On a cold, rainy day, there's nothing that feels better upon waking than putting bare feet onto a warm floor heated by a radiant in-floor system.
Rather than rely on inefficient forced-air systems — which start with cold outside air, and then must expend energy to heat it before moving it inside — radiant heating uses a warm surface to transfer heat into a space. It's much like shining a light on a wall. And as we learned in physics class, warm air rises, so a heated floor soon means a heated room.
In general, there are two types of radiant heating systems, according the National Association of Home Builders: dry-system radiant tubing, with electric-powered tubes positioned above the floor and in between two layers of plywood, or under the subfloor; and hydronic radiant-floor systems, with looped tubes pumping heater water beneath the finished floor. The water is heated by gas, wood or oil boilers; solar water heaters; or a combination of sources. Hydronic systems tend to be the most efficient, says the U.S. Department of Energy.
Can you imagine anything cozier in the morning than putting your feet onto a shag rug, warmed by radiant heat under the wood floors?
A benefit of radiant heating for allergy sufferers: The absence of outside air moved in and around a home can reduce allergies.
A benefit of radiant heating for allergy sufferers: The absence of outside air moved in and around a home can reduce allergies.
I've seen most radiant-flooring systems installed under concrete. But the material you choose to install over the systems doesn't have to be purely utilitarian. In one beach house, I saw a 3-foot-diameter, shallow-metal compass rose installed flush into the concrete over the flooring system. And the concrete was dyed green.
The concrete floors in this entry have slate leaves embedded in them, "to look as if they've just blown in," says Tali Hardonag Architect.
The concrete floors in this entry have slate leaves embedded in them, "to look as if they've just blown in," says Tali Hardonag Architect.
If you don't like the look of concrete, wood is a classy alternative to top radiant-flooring systems, as in this San Francisco house by Barker O'Donoghue Master Builders.
In addition to concrete and wood, radiant-heating systems can be installed under tile. This 15,000-square-foot house in Saratoga, California, by Conrado Home Builders features radiant-floor heating throughout — even in this traditional-looking, tiled entryway.
There are many different types of installation systems for radiant-floor hydronic heating, according to the Radiant Panel Association. In a concrete-slab system like this one, tubing is held in place until the concrete is poured, at which point the tubes become permanently embedded in the concrete.
Other systems include thin slab, subfloor plates, subfloor board, engineered subfloor, staple up and hanging in joist space. The Radiant Panel Association has one caution for installing wood systems: Don't use particleboard for the subflooring.
Photo by edgygrrrl via Flickr Creative Commons
Other systems include thin slab, subfloor plates, subfloor board, engineered subfloor, staple up and hanging in joist space. The Radiant Panel Association has one caution for installing wood systems: Don't use particleboard for the subflooring.
Photo by edgygrrrl via Flickr Creative Commons
jacuzzi.com
For a quick radiant fix, install radiant systems under tiles in only the areas that you want instead of under an entire floor. This system by Jacuzzi has a control panel to adjust the temperature.
The Curved House, by Hufft Projects, features radiant flooring in my number-one favorite place: the bathroom. There's no need for bath mats in rooms that are heated like this one; bare feet step onto warm tile.
One trick with radiant heating is to make sure it's turned up or down according to the outside temperature.
I recently stayed at this gorgeous building, the University College at Oxford University's boathouse, which has student rooms on the upper floors. The building is heated by radiant flooring, except when I was there, it was 70 degrees outside and we had all the windows open because it was so warm inside.
As with all green systems, if you're not using them right, you're not saving money.
Photo by Anders Sandberg via Flickr Creative Commons
I recently stayed at this gorgeous building, the University College at Oxford University's boathouse, which has student rooms on the upper floors. The building is heated by radiant flooring, except when I was there, it was 70 degrees outside and we had all the windows open because it was so warm inside.
As with all green systems, if you're not using them right, you're not saving money.
Photo by Anders Sandberg via Flickr Creative Commons
As for the financial savings, radiant flooring is reported to save 20 percent to 40 percent in heating bills, according to the National Association for Home Builders.
Tell us: What questions do you have about how radiant heating works?
More:
12 Ways to Warm Up Your Bath
When to Use Engineered Wood Floors
Houzz Tour: Zero-Energy Renovated Victorian in San Francisco
Tell us: What questions do you have about how radiant heating works?
More:
12 Ways to Warm Up Your Bath
When to Use Engineered Wood Floors
Houzz Tour: Zero-Energy Renovated Victorian in San Francisco
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Our system consists mainly of pex tubing with fittings, manifolds, pumps and tankless hot water heaters. We bought all of these things from various sources. We didn't use a company to draw up plans for us either. My husband has an engineering background and did extensive research on radiant floor heating then used a CAD program to draw up plans. Granted this was almost ten years ago. The industry has grown significantly and the technology has changed as well. But I can say that our in-floor heating works wonderfully and we enjoy our toasty floors when it is below freezing outside. Sorry I couldn't provide a company name for you.
Here's a during-construction photo of the mud bed being installed over the tubing for radiant heat. Hot water will run through the tubes to heat the floor and the room. This type of radiant heat is called hydronic heating.