Radiant Floor Heating - Overview

Hold your hand over a hot cup of coffee and feel the radiant heat. The logical conclusion is that heat rises. Logical maybe, but incorrect! "Hot air" rises but "heat" can travel in any direction. That is why you can feel the radiant heat of the cup when you place your hand to the side of it.

Radiant heat transfer is caused by a warm surface giving up its heat to a cooler surface. The radiant heat travels in the form of infrared light which is absorbed by the cooler mass.

Whenever there is a temperature difference between two surfaces, both surfaces will attempt to equalize. Radiant heating energy travels through space without heating the space itself. It only turns into heat when it contacts a cooler surface.

Our human comfort relies just as much on radiant heat transfer as it does on air temperature, yet the majority of heating and air-conditioning professionals think only in terms of air temperature. As a result, most people are missing out on a truly comfortable living environment in their own homes or places of business.

By controlling both the air temperature and the radiant transfer, radiant panel systems deliver a comfort that is unsurpassed and more economical to operate.

Radiant floor heat is highly energy efficient since it heats objects which retain heat instead of moving air. In addition to the bodily comfort provided, radiant floor heat is quiet since there are no blowers, all mechanicals are hidden from view, and it doesn’t spread allergens like a forced-air system.