In-Floor Heating- Pros And Cons
In-Floor heating is becoming a very popular way to heat your home. Many people are shifting to radiant heat technology to warm up their homes holistically. Before you decide whether your home needs in-floor heating, you must understand what it is and what the Pros and Cons are.
What Is In-Floor Heating?
When you think about a heating system, the first thing that comes to your mind is heating the air. These traditional heating systems use warm air to add warmth to a space, whereas in-floor heating or Radiant heating directly heats the room from the ground up.
With the radiant heating technology, Users can heat up their floors up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. However, that may not be comfortable. The optimal ranges lie between 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use the thermostat to set the temperatures the way you want them. Radiant Heat uses heat radiation to warm up a place, allowing people to feel warm even if the air in the room is colder. The technology sounds like a great option but before you make your choice, look at all the pros and cons of in-floor heating:
Pros Of In Floor Heating
Uniform Heating
With traditional methods, it isn't easy to heat a room uniformly. Some parts of the room will always be warmer than others. Air heating technologies distribute warm air using air vents, and these vents are in certain areas. The atmosphere is warmest near these vents and gets colder as it moves further away from the vent. This does not happen with a radiant heater because it essentially heats the complete floor resulting in uniform heat distribution. This also helps people maintain an ambient temperature. There are no cold drafts with radiant heating.
Zero Maintenance
Most heating systems require a lot of maintenance, but you don't need to bother with maintenance with the In-Floor heating. They come with a warranty, and if there are any damages during installations or services, the company themselves will come and solve it for you. They typically use a thermal imaging camera to identify the problem exactly. However, this feature is exclusively available for electric floor heating systems. Either way, you don't need to worry about maintenance when you get in-floor heating systems. If you think that your heating system needs normally maintenance, you can always contact an electrician Vancouver and ask them to examine the problem for you.
Noise Free
The constant noise from heating systems can be quite a bother. One must be able to live in a peaceful environment without any noise. While typical heating systems can't ensure that, radiant heating systems can. In-Floor heating systems are popular as they are practically soundless. There are no furnaces with an in-floor heating system that means no loud furnace noises. Just switch on the system and get complete comfort without any irritating noises.
No Allergens
It is very common to experience allergies with typical heating systems as they move the air around, causing the allergens to move around too. Many people every year face severe allergic reactions because of their heating systems. With a radiant heating system, this is not really a concern. They spread heat through the floor, which eliminates air particles, and people with allergies can easily enjoy the warmth without sneezing their lungs out.
Energy Efficient
Forced air heating systems require a lot of energy as they have to work to heat up the space continuously. The heat almost always has ways to escape making the forced air heating systems work harder. On the other hand, a radiant heating system restores most of the heat it produces. Since it radiates heat directly and not through the air, there is practically a lesser chance for the air to escape. With that in mind, the radiant heating systems don't have to work harder to restore heat.
According to experienced electrician Vancouver, in-floor heating systems are 25% more energy efficient than traditional heating systems. The reasons for their efficiency are that they do not allow warmth to escape and take a shorter time to heat up. Typically, the radiant heater only takes about 30-60 minutes to heat up the space completely. You can control the heating using different controls such as a program-based thermostat, a Wifi thermostat, and you can also manually switch the heating system on and off.
Considering its high efficiency, running a radiant floor heating system is cheaper than a forced-air heating system.
Hassle-Free Installation
If you want to install an electric floor heating system, you don't really need the help of an expert. You can easily do it on your own. You do not need to have a specific type of floor to install the heating system, you can get it despite the type of flooring you have. The heating systems come in rolls with a heating cable. This makes it very easy for just about anyone to install it. All one needs to do is spread out the rolls, cut them as per their needs, and loom them around their space to cover everything completely.
You can also find these rolls with a loose cable that you can loom onto the installation membrane that comes with studs. If you use this technology, you can rest assured that it will not crack. The best part about its installation is that you won't have to spend additional money on the ducts as you don't need them with in-floor heating.
Cons Of In Floor Heating
New Flooring
No matter which time of in-floor heating you go for, you must replace the flooring. You need to remove the flooring you have now so that you can install the in-floor heating mechanism. If you are renovating your home, you must quickly decide whether you want an in-floor heating system. It is best to install the heating system while you remodel. Otherwise, you would have to rip off the floors again. It is a big disadvantage, having to remove the floor and then placing them back again.
Heightens The Floor
Since you are adding a complete system under your floors, it is obvious that you will have to elevate the flooring. If you opt for flooring systems that are not too thick, then you can expect the least elevation. In most cases you need to include installation membranes and underlayment. This automatically elevates your floors further. Electrical flooring typically does not make much difference to your floors' height compared to the hydronic heating systems. If you do not have much space to elevate your flooring, you must go for the electric system.
Expensive
As compared to other heating systems, in-floor heating solutions can be quite costly. They go by prices by the square foot, and the prices depend on the system you opt for. Other factors affect the price, such as the cost of electricity in your area. It is usually the cost of operation that is expensive. Otherwise, the efficiency of these systems brings down the usage costs significantly.
Upon usage, you might see an increase in your electricity bills but at the same time, your heating bills will decrease. If you compare electric and hydronic in-floor heating systems, you will find the latter to be more expensive.
Their increased price is because hydronic floors use broilers, pumps, and gas lines, which increases the costs considerably.
Which Floor Heating Should You Go For
Now that you know how the pros outweigh the cons, you might be thinking about which floor heating system you should go for.
Electric Floor Heating Systems
Electric floor heating systems are essentially electric heating elements loomed in a pattern. This system is easier to install than other systems and can be the best fit if you want to remodel your home. You can use the systems in a way where you turn them on and off as you please. This will also help you limit the costs.
Hydronic Floor Heating Systems
You can also use a water heater that uses plastic tubing to pump hot water, eventually warming up the flooring. However, they are not the easiest to install. The water heater and other parts are expensive, and if the square foot is lower, it may cost you more money as it takes a longer time to heat up.
You can consult an electrician Vancouver and ask them to help you out with the selection. They will ask for your requirements and then suggest systems according to your needs. Their expert advice can help you make the right decision and save up on costs.