RADIANT HEAT

In our opinion radiant heat is the very best heat for comfort.  In Europe, cathedrals with ceilings 70 feet high or more are often heated with radiant heat.  The temperature difference between the floor and the ceiling is a couple of degrees or less.  A warm air system will have 20 degrees or more higher temperature at the ceiling than at the floor with a ceiling height of 70 feet.   Radiant heat is great for bathrooms with tile floors since the floor is warm.  Radiant heat is inherently more efficient since there are no convection currents and most people feel warm at a 65 degree air temperature.  It can also solve problems with room additions since no ductwork is required.  This type of system can also be used to heat garages and provide snow melting for sidewalks and driveways. 

Radiant heat is at least 40% more efficient than warm air heat.

We use the Wirsbo in-floor radiant heat system.  We use it because it is the best system available.  There are a lot of reasons and we would be happy to explain them to you.

It would seem that installing radiant heat is simple.  In a way that is true if the system has been engineered.  Engineering the system is the hard part.  It is necessary to know the radiant heat load necessary to heat the room.  Once those calculations have been done the next thing that has to be calculated is the floor surface temperature necessary to heat the space.  The floor is the radiator.  The floor covering is important in order to determine what water temperature is necessary to run through the tubing.  Carpet, tile and wood floors require different water temperatures in the tubing in order to have the same floor surface temperature.  Insulation below the radiant floor also has to be calculated.  If you do not insulate under the floor properly the system will not work.  The radiant heat system may need one to five different water temperatures with outdoor reset in order to provide the maximum comfort available.  This may seem complicated but radiant heat works great with minimal service if the engineering is done at the beginning.  It can be a huge disaster if the engineering is not done properly.

Please contact us for information.  There is no obligation.