Radiant Heat

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Underfloor heating has been proven to be a very safe heating solution for your home. As an invisible system, and unlike central-heat, floor heaters don’t have any hot surfaces or exposed heating elements on which you may injure yourself. There is also no risk of electric shocks with these systems. Radiant heaters are also beneficial to your wellbeing as it keeps the air in the space fresher by reducing the circulation of dust – a common problem in rooms with central heating.

For guaranteed safety, it is important to always have your heating system installed by a fully qualified installer who has worked with floor heating before.

Electric floor heaters are composed of electric heating wires, often formed as a heating mat, which are installed below the floor finish and conduct electricity and convert this energy into an optimal radiant heat output. The temperature and heat schedule of the system is controlled and managed using a dedicated thermostat.

Water floor heating systems, also known as hydronic systems, utilize heating pipes which distribute warm water throughout the system to heat the space radiantly. This water is blended from hot water from your heat source and cooler water from the pipework via a Manifold, which regulates pressure, temperature and flow.

No matter what floor finish you are using in a project, there is a radiant floor heater suitable for you.

Due to their natural, heat-conductive properties, stone and tiles are ideal to be heated by an underfloor heating system. For wood flooring, you can use either natural or engineered wood, however, we recommend thinner, denser wood to allow for optimal performance of a heating system.

Stone or ceramic tiles‘ suitability for floor heating make them the perfect choice for bathrooms and kitchens. Tiles heat up quickly and help distribute this heat evenly away from the heater and radiantly into the room. 

Softer floor types like carpet  or vinyl can be heated by a wide range of our electric heating solutions. Carpet requires more temperature from below to force the heat through the carpet and into the room. This need for higher temperatures below the floor will likely require improved insulation underneath everything to prevent heat loss downward. 

Most maintenance items center on the pumps and boilers. For the most part, the pumps used today are maintenance free. They use water to lubricate the bearings, which allow for more quiet, efficient life span. In general, these pumps have an estimated life span of 10 years. We offer a yearly maintenance package, which includes cleaning and general up-keep. Different boiler types will require different maintenance. 

Most radiant floor heat systems take about a day to come up to full temperature. The reason for this is due to how the radiant heating system stores energy. Before a radiant floor can emit energy (heat) into a space, it first has to raise the floor temperature. Depending on the floor construction and the initial floor temperature, this start up time may be anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Slab on grade floors will see the largest start up time, mainly because they will have the highest mass value. 

High ceilings and lots of windows are one of the main reasons why radiant heat is chosen as a building heating system. Since hot air rises, in a forced air heating system all of the nice, usable heat is first sent to the ceiling. This may be anywhere from 10 to 20 feet up. By the time this air makes its way to your level, about 6-ft. off the ground, it has lost most of its energy and has started to get pushed down by the other hot air entering the room. If this air is cooler than when it entered, where did all of its heat go? Right out the ceiling.

Radiant heating works in just the opposite way. Since a radiant heat system stores its energy in the floor, all of the room's warmth is kept right where it needs to be, on the floor where you are. The ceiling in a radiant floor system is always much cooler than the floor area, just the way you would want it. This cooler ceiling temperature means less energy is being wasted to the outside. Less waste means higher efficiency. 

Yes they do. The amount of savings will vary depending on the heat loss, how well the structure is built, how well the building is insulated and the natural fuel source being used. For the most part radiant floors will operate anywhere from 25% to 40% more efficiently that other forms of forced air heating.