Floor Heating vs Radiators
When it comes to choosing the right form of heating for your home or business, the decision doesn’t come easily, moreover, you will have to stick with it for years to come. The right decision will enable you to enjoy extra comfort and lower your heating bills; the wrong decision will prompt losing heat as well as money fast.
The conventional heating method most homes and businesses would choose has been radiators; these durable heat exchangers have been used across the country for ages. But recently some competition in the form of underfloor heating has entered the marketplace. The effective form of underfloor heating is becoming more and more popular and spreading rapidly across the USA.
Read on to find out more about these two heating devices, as well as their characteristics and benefits, to help you make the right choice.
Heat distribution
Underfloor heating generates radiant heat which makes you feel warm. The term “radiant heating” is applied because radiation provides a significant proportion of the “thermal comfort” due to this form of heating.
Convection is used in radiators that heat the air surrounding them. The air heated by a radiator rises up to the ceiling and as soon as this warm air has been cooled, it falls down to the floor to be reheated by the convection of the radiator. This process creates a flow of hot and cold air in the room and those spots that are closer to the radiators are warmer than the other areas in the room.
Energy & the environment
In terms of the influence on the environment, floor heating doesn’t use that much energy in comparison with usual radiators (the average floor heating system will use up to 40% less energy than traditional radiators).
The other huge benefit of the floor heating system is that it can draw energy from renewable sources. It can even be operated using solar panels in the form of a solar thermal system, or even heat pumps.
Costs
Floor heating is definitely a larger initial financial investment, but it will eventually repay with high energy savings. It can prove to be extremely profitable, especially when it is coupled with a renewable energy source.
Outward looks
It is obvious that bulky radiators tend to take up space in your room. In merchandising area they can be particularly restraining since the space there is used to display products and other items. However, the newer and lighter forms of radiators are being manufactured presently, so you can easily find the radiator that adds to your décor if you need to.
Cleanness
All the radiators attract and build up dust, this is inevitable. They are extremely difficult to get in between the sections; consequently they are not the cleanest option. Floor heating is under the floor, so it doesn’t get dirty that easily.
Heating Speed
The amount of time underfloor heating takes to heat up a room is much more than that of the radiator. The radiator can heat up a room within half an hour, getting hot within 3-4 minutes, an underfloor heating system can take between 1 and 2 hours to properly heat a room.
However, floor heating system can be programmed to heat 24/7, making sure that a room temperature never drops below 16°C – no need to wait for it to heat up anymore. This makes floor heating perfect for public buildings which are occupied day and night, and busy homes where someone will usually be in. On the other hand, underfloor heating also takes longer to cool down than radiator systems.
Comfort
Comfort and luxury go along with the underfloor heating. There is nothing more pleasant than walking on a warm floor barefoot on a winter night. The underfloor heating system doesn’t make that cracking and ticking noises which the radiators usually make while heating up.
It is up to you to choose a heating system depending on your personal needs and lifestyle, contact Downey Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning to help you make a reasonable decision concerning your current or future heating system.
