Radiant Floor Heat
Radiant Floor Heating in the DC Metropolitan Area
Radiant floor heating is the most comfortable heating for a home. Unlike forced air systems that push heated air to the top of the room, radiant floor heating warms the area closest to the floor. Which makes it more comfortable for people (especially the feet!).
Both water and electricity are more efficient at transporting heat into a room, rather than air. Electric cables or hot water coils are used to run underneath the floor. This creates a process known as convention, which is relying on hot air naturally rising and warming people in the room.
Benefits of Radiant Floor Heating
- Quiet
- Energy efficient – lower energy bills
- Warms home evenly
- Warm tiles and hardwood floors for feet
- Fewer allergens in the air
- Safe, with little maintenance
- Used in new construction or renovations
Radiant floor heating systems do not use forced air registers, create noise, dust, or blow hot air to exacerbate winter dryness. Additionally, homes that utilize radiant floor heating can expect a 25% energy savings over a conventional forced-air heated home.
Installation Process of Radiant Floor Heating
There are multiple ways of preparing your home for radiant floor heating during the construction phase. Radiant tubing can be embedded in to the concrete slab or for retrofit applications and different panel systems can be used as a subflooring or an over the subfloor application (i.e. Staple-down, underfloor heat-plates, or over floor paneling).
Staple-down is one of the more common methods used for new construction. It incorporates either metal staples for wood floor or plastic staples for foam insulation on a concrete slab.
Snow Melt Systems
In addition to in home floor heating, radiant heating can be used to melt snow whether it’s in a driveway, patio, rooftop, or outdoor areas. The picture below shows a building’s driveway leading up to the roof that Harvey W. Hottel, Inc. installed, located in DC. Whether it’s concrete, asphalt, pavers etc. heated driveways are customizable making it easy to fit all needs.