| Your new home is on the drawing boards and the | | | | normal domestic supply is piped into a boiler |
| general contractor and the architect both need to | | | | where it is heated close to boiling and then |
| know how are you going to heat it. Your location | | | | pumped into heating zones. A zone can represent |
| makes getting putting in a kerosene or oil-based | | | | an entire room or a series of living spaces like a |
| furnace cost prohibitive and the costs of piping | | | | kitchen with dining room. |
| natural gas or storing propane are just ridiculous in | | | | Under the flooring of each zoom or room, are |
| your area. And yours is not the type of family to | | | | plastic tubing which transfers the heat from the |
| love the idea of wood burning anything! | | | | hot water into the room above. Heat settings can |
| So you have been thinking that you are going to | | | | be controlled either by a thermostats (one for |
| have to go electric. But you have heard how | | | | each zone or a central one like normal) or by |
| houses using heat pumps just never get really | | | | using a set of water control valves. |
| warm but what is left? Standard baseboard | | | | The main component to hydronic radiant heating |
| heaters can be very inefficient in energy use and | | | | is the natural circulation of heated air from floor |
| don't always heat up a room completely. | | | | to ceiling. The more heat is absorbed and remains |
| But someone mentioned hydronic radiant heating | | | | in the flooring the longer the room above will stay |
| to you the other day. They said that hydronic | | | | warm. This is why a floor with good thermal |
| radiant heating versus electric heating had cheaper | | | | mass (high capacity to store heat) is an excellent |
| energy bills and that in-floor hydronic heating could | | | | idea. |
| keep a whole house warm through even the | | | | Floors made with concrete or with ceramic or |
| toughest of winters. | | | | stone tiles are considered the best. These are |
| What Is Hydronic Radiant Heating? | | | | called "wet" installations and while very good for |
| Liquid-based or hydronic heating has become one | | | | heating purposes, can pose structural issues due |
| the most popular and inexpensive methods of | | | | to their relative weight. Newer, "dry" installations |
| whole house heating in new home constructions. | | | | use hydronic radiant heating tubing "sandwiched" in |
| This is because unlike conventional methods, | | | | between a normal subflooring and the standard |
| hydronic relies on radiant heat that comes directly | | | | carpet or wood. |
| from under the floor. Radiant heat is the type of | | | | Why Hydronic Radiant Heating is is the Best for a |
| heat you feel from sunlight when you are | | | | New Home? |
| standing outdoors. | | | | Two main reasons are installation costs and long |
| The non-contact of hydronic radiant heating feels | | | | term heating costs. Studies have shown that |
| warm without the worry of children, pets or | | | | when installed in a home at the time of |
| furnishings being too close to open flames or hot | | | | construction that hydronic radiant heating systems |
| elements. While hydronic does mean "liquid" and in | | | | are cheaper versus electric heating. The second |
| portable systems often uses oil or silicone based | | | | reason is that hydronic heating has a more |
| materials, with in-floor radiant heating, only water | | | | efficient energy use which translates into lower |
| is used. | | | | heating bills and greater savings to the |
| Water is the optimum heat transfer liquid in a | | | | homeowner over the life of house. |
| whole house heating system. Water from your | | | | |