Understanding The Comfort And Efficiency Of Radiant Floor Heating

Understanding the Comfort and Efficiency of Radiant Floor Heating

How does thermal heat affect your level of comfort?

To fully understand the advantages of radiant panel heating, it’s necessary to understand “thermal comfort”. Although most people know when they’re comfortable, few of them know why. “Comfort professionals” need to understand what factors affect thermal comfort and how to create an interior environment that ensures it exists.

 

Ecowarm Radiant Floor Heating Provides Warm Thermal ComfortFloors and cookies are best when warm. Infrared photography shows why radiant floor heating is the most comfortable and efficient heat available.

 

Many people think that just because the room temperature is in the range of 70F, they should be comfortable. Providing true thermal comfort, however, involves more than simply maintaining inside temperature within a certain range.

Comfort is established and maintained only as long as our bodies release the heat generated by metabolism at the same rate it’s produced. When truly comfortable, we should be totally unaware of how or where our bodies are losing heat. Radiant heat transfer plays a big part in providing – or denying – thermal comfort.

To appreciate the intricacies of maintaining thermal comfort, it’s important to understand how our bodies release heat. Under light activity conditions, such as working at a desk, an adult generates about 350 to 400 Btus per hour of heat by metabolism. That’s roughly equivalent to the heat given off by a 100 watt light bulb.

“When truly comfortable, we should be totally unaware of how or where our bodies are losing heat. Radiant heat transfer plays a big part in providing – or denying – thermal comfort.”

The Four Natural Heat Processes-Radiant-Floor-Heating-Ecowarm

The Four Natural Heat Processes

Four natural processes are involved in releasing heat from the body:

  • Evaporation of moisture from the skin
  • Heat transferred to the air around the body by convection
  • Heat conducted to objects the body is in contact with
  • Radiant heat transfer between the body and surrounding objects

The combined effect of all four processes determines if we release heat at the same rate it’s generated, and hence whether or not we’re comfortable.

Evaporation

Evaporation of moisture from the skin is responsible for about 25% of the heat output of our body during light activity within typical interior spaces. As the humidity of the air around us increases, evaporative heat loss becomes less effective. Moisture accumulates on our skin faster than it can evaporate. You know the feeling-and the resulting loss of thermal comfort.

By contrast, evaporative cooling is very effective (and therefore very noticeable) before a person towels off after a swim, even when the temperature of the air surrounding them would otherwise be considered comfortable.

Convection

Heat flows from our skin and clothing to the surrounding air whenever the air is at a lower temperature. This is an example of convection heat transfer.

As the air in contact with our skin and clothing absorbs heat it gently rises, cooler air flows in to replace it and continues the process. Under normal interior conditions, while wearing light clothing, convection removes about 30% of the heat our bodies generate. Its effectiveness depends on both the temperature difference between our external surfaces and the air around us, as well as the speed the air flows past us.

Increasing either increases convective heat loss. For example, we experience “wind chill” whenever air at a temperature lower than our exterior surfaces flows past us. As the speed of the air increases, we feel a definite increase in its cooling effect, even though its temperature hasn’t dropped.

Although wind chill is usually thought of as an outdoor phenomena, it can also occur inside. The word “draft” is used to describe this (usually undesirable) effect during the heating season. To maintain comfort, heating systems in floors must avoid creating noticeable drafts.

“Although wind chill is usually thought of as an outdoor phenomena, it can also occur inside. The word “draft” is used to describe this (usually undesirable) effect during the heating season.”

Conduction

Heat loss by conduction occurs whenever part of our body touches a colder object. If you stand barefoot on a cool basement floor, your feet quickly feel the result of conduction heat loss. The warmed seat of a chair after someone has been sitting in it for a while is also the result of conduction heat loss.

Radiation

Radiant heat transfer from our skin and clothing to objects around us plays a big role in determining thermal comfort. Whenever we’re in the proximity of objects cooler than our exterior surfaces, we radiate heat to them.

Under normal interior conditions with light clothing, almost half of our body’s total heat output is released by radiation. This is what creates the chill we feel while standing near a cool window surface, even though the air around us may be 70F or more. Another way to feel radiant heat loss is to walk out from under an overhang on a clear night. There is an instant sense of the increased cooling effect as your body comes into view of the cold upper atmosphere that was previously shielded by the overhang. The surrounding air temperature didn’t change, but the increased radiational cooling makes it feel that way.

“…almost half of our body’s total heat output is released by radiation. This is what creates the “chill” we feel while standing near a cool window surface, even though the air around us may be 70F or more.”

How do our bodies regulate heat loss?

How do our bodies regulate heat loss?

Our bodies automatically adjust all these processes to regulate heat loss. When one method of heat loss is limited, the body attempts to increase its other heat loss mechanisms.

For example, when high humidity inhibits evaporative heat loss, our skin temperature rises in order to boost both convection and radiation heat loss. In such situations our instincts often tell us to increase convection by fanning our face, standing where there’s a breeze, and so forth. But there are limits to how far our bodies can adjust one or more of these mechanisms to compensate for others.

That’s where a building’s “comfort system” comes in. Ideally, it works in combination with our body’s own heat loss mechanisms, keeping them within a fairly narrow range so they can “fine-tune” body heat output and thus maintain comfort.

“…thermal comfort is achieved when we are totally unaware of how or where our bodies are losing heat.

How to achieve maximum thermal comfort

We’ve probably all experienced most of the uncomfortable situations described above, but few of us have paused to give them much thought. Now that you have a basic understanding of how these natural processes work, you’ll become more discerning of your thermal surroundings and the degree of comfort they offer. Remember, thermal comfort is achieved when we are totally unaware of how or where our bodies are losing heat.

Radiant Ceiling Vs Radiant Floor Heating

Radiant Ceiling Vs Radiant Floor Heating

Tom Tesmar is a legendary pioneer in the introduction of Euro style modern radiant heat to North America.  We think Tom says it best.

Thermodynamics is not just a good idea….it’s the law. The output of a radiant floor is limited in two ways. First, the maximum surface temperature of a radiant floor is limited to around 87F (about 45 Btu per square foot). If the floor is operated above this temperature, the occupants are likely to complain of uncomfortably hot and sweaty feet.

The Benefits of Radiant Heat in your Ceiling vs the Floor

Secondly, radiant floors are limited by the amount of energy that can penetrate highly resistant floor coverings, such as certain carpeted and wood floors. Often, these materials limit the actual output to less than 20 Btu per square foot. Unfortunately, these beautiful and thermally resistant floor coverings are often used in the more elegant rooms, with large windows and high heating loads. Radiant floor designers often must stretch to meet the load such rooms. Also, floor coverings are likely to change significantly over the life of the building, leading to the comment “It worked until the owners placed a thick Persian rug over the wood floor”.

Radiant ceilings can easily operate at surface temperatures up to 100 F, delivering in excess of 55 Btu per square foot. Since ceilings are typically constructed of gypsum based sheet rock, they offer very little resistance to thermal transfer. Unless designers regress to the 1960’s, and resume putting shag carpeting on the ceilings, it’s likely the output of the ceiling won’t change during the life of the home.

“There seems to be some ingrained misunderstandings of the concepts. Someone will say that “heat rises, therefore you’ll have a hot head and cold feet”. Not true.”

In any discussion of radiant ceilings and comfort, there seems to be some ingrained misunderstandings of the concepts. Someone will say that “heat rises, therefore you’ll have a hot head and cold feet”. Not true.

Addressing the “Heat Rises” Myth

Heat doesn’t rise. Hot air rises. In radiant systems objects of mass are heated without heating the air. In fact, there is typically more hot air rising with a radiant floor than with a radiant ceiling. This is because air molecules that come into contact with the radiant ceiling already occupy the highest strata. In radiant floors, the cooler molecules sink and come into contact with the warm floor surface and rise as their density changes with heat, driving the convective forces that cause stratification.

Under normal conditions neither radiant floors or radiant ceilings heat the air to an uncomfortable level like in forced air systems, however.

“There are no cold floors in radiant ceiling projects.”

Another myth about radiant floors and ceilings involves the surface temperatures that are achieved. Just as the overhead rays of the sun are absorbed by the beach sand, radiant ceilings warm the floor. There are no cold floors in radiant ceiling projects. You can put a piece of Tahiti in your living room with radiant ceilings. Unless you believe tropical island comfort requires the flow of underground lava.

I also hear radiant ceilings criticized for what is termed “shadowing affects”. This is the belief that legs under tables or desks are shielded from the radiant heat and are, therefore, cold. Radiant ceilings, like floors both radiate and re-radiate. The invisible heat rays emit from the heated surface to other colder unheated surfaces. The total affect of all of this bouncing of energy is very even heat distribution.

If a person is seated at a table near an outside wall, there could be some shadowing from above with a radiant ceiling, just as there might be shadowing from below with a radiant floor when seated on a sofa near the outside wall. In most situations, shadowing for radiant ceilings or floors is negligible. More significant, however is the possibility that objects placed on the radiant floor will impede the flow of energy. Area rugs, and some furnishings such as certain sofas and beds can reduce the usable floor area, increasing the Btu load per square foot, and, perhaps, exceeding the system capability. Radiant ceilings are not subject to these types of problems.

Cost Benefits of Radiant Heat in Ceilings

Radiant ceilings accelerate fast, when needed, to meet a big change in heating load. They dissipate energy fast as well. The responsiveness of radiant ceilings makes them excellent for modern controls, placing energy where it is needed when it is needed, and achieving superior comfort and efficiency. Some high mass radiant floors are sluggish in that they take a long time to accelerate to meet the load.

In modern heating systems, too much emphasis has been placed on energy efficiency of the heat plant while wasting energy on poor distribution. This is like putting a Viper engine in a Yugo. Far more heat energy can be salvaged by not wasting it in poorly controlled buildings, than can be achieved by squeezing another Btu per hour out of a heat plant. There are some pretty interesting solutions to heat distribution problems by using radiant floors in conjunction with radiant ceilings.

“Without a doubt, radiant ceilings cost far less than radiant floors.”

In this way the floors are not required to meet the entire load, yet are conditioned to provide comfortable surface temperatures. The ceilings are heated, where necessary, to take on the severe conditions and give everyone involved the peace of mind that the system will keep up with the heat loss under severe conditions. Without a doubt, radiant ceilings cost far less than radiant floors. In most are heated, where necessary, to take on the severe conditions and give everyone involved the peace of mind that the system will keep up with the heat loss under severe conditions.

Without a doubt, radiant ceilings cost far less than radiant floors. In most cases they cost less than half of a radiant floor. Lower cost means more opportunity. They take less effort to design and install. Radiant ceilings are perfect for retrofit situations. It is very inexpensive and easy to lower a ceiling to accommodate the radiant ceiling, but difficult to raise a floor.

Radiant ceilings are not optimal over a concrete slab placed on the grade of the earth. Radiant floors are best for these situations. I also prefer radiant floors in rooms with smooth surface floors, such as bathrooms,  where occupants are often barefoot. It is a real nice touch. But when the going gets tough, the heat losses are high and the floor coverings are plush, radiant ceilings cannot be beat.”

Tile Over Radiant Floor Heating Boards

Tile Over Radiant Heating Boards

Cost Effective Installation of Tile Over Radiant Floor Heating Boards

This radiant floor heating article is designed to communicate a quality and cost effective method of installing ceramic tile over radiant floor heating board systems. The system shown below is straight forward and avoids using unnecessarily expensive and complex products.

Overview of Materials:

All materials expand and contract at different rates and with tile it is particularly important to accommodate this in a quality installation over radiant heating boards. Radiant floors typically go through a range of floor temperatures depending on the amount of heat loss occurring at the time.

In moderate weather the floor temperature may only be a few degrees hotter than the room temperature but in extreme heat loss conditions it could under certain circumstances be as much as 15°F hotter than the room temperature. The co-efficient of thermal expansion of the radiant board substrata and ceramic tile are not the same. Properly installed tile is very durable but will be prone to cracking if provision is not made to account for the differing expansion of these layers of materials.

By utilizing a flexible crack isolation membrane this challenge can be cost effectively solved and also provide, with proper installation and material choice, protection from moisture getting into the substrata. Since tile is so frequently installed in locations that are prone to moisture such as bathrooms and kitchens this moisture protection is important.

Suggested Installation Method for Tile over Radiant Floor Heating

The system described above is the cost effective system that our company recommends for our Ecowarm Radiant Board. But it is generic enough that, with small common sense changes should be applicable to most infloor radiant board systems.

In the drawing the radiant board is attached to the subfloor using, preferably, a low VOV green construction adhesive glue on the bottom along with screws or cross staples from a sheathing stapler at the eight attachment points. Cross stapling means putting 2 staples at opposing 45 degree angles close to each other. Cross stapling along with the bottom side glue makes for a very secure and squeak resistant installation of the board. The next step is installing cementitious backer board over the radiant board. It may be ¼” .3/8” or ½” depending on the needs of matching other floor heights.

How to have a record of where the tubing is:

Before installing the backer board a thick sheet of clear plastic should be cut to size of the room or area to be installed with the backer board. Using a permanent marker make a template of where the tubing runs are. The plastic template can be unrolled and used to locate where to snap lines that will locate the tubing to avoid screwing through. Taking photographs of the tubing installation is a good idea also. The backerboard may be installed to the radiant board using modified thin set and screwed to the radiant board.

The hydronic tubing should be under an air pressure test during the installation so that if a puncture occurred it would be found. To date we have not found a modified thin set that is incompatible with the PEX pipe used in the radiant board but it is always good to check with the PEX manufacturer as well. There are other PEX pipe compatible adhesives such as Bostik Greenforce that can be used to adhere backerboard to our radiant board but are more expensive than thin set. Remember all glues take longer to set on aluminum since only one of the two surfaces is absorbent. Once the backerboard is attached to the radiant board, an anti-fracture membrane should be installed over it.

We recommend products from the Noble Corporation http://noblecompany.com since they were early supporters of the radiant floor heating industry and trade groups called and have very radiant savvy tech support people. They make a range of appropriate products but the one we recommend is called Noble Seal TS http://noblecompany.com/products/nobleseal-ts which performs as a crack isolation or antifracture membrane and when properly installed adds water proofing of the substrata. Properly installed and rated in TCNA approved tests as High Performance, it will accommodate up to 1/8” differences in the expansion and contraction of the layers thus preventing cracking of the tile.


Photo courtesy of The Noble Company

The anti-fracture membrane is made from an extruded CPE sheet layer pf polyester fiber bonded to  either side. TS may be installed on the cementitious backboard in two ways. The first way is with modified thin set mortar which requires a cure time before the installation of the tile, or in the case of Noble Seal TS there is an adhesive called Nobel Bond EXT that can be used that has enough tack that tile may be installed using modified thin set on it, without the additional cure time. The membrane may be made waterproof by lapping it 2”and using a waterproof sealant such as NobleSealant 150 to bond the overlap.

There are other brands with anti-fracture membranes and a family of related products where the installation would be similar. Lastly, tile is usually thin set to the anti-fracture membrane and after an appropriate drying period grout is applied.

5 Ways Radiant Heat Is Better In The Ceiling

5 Ways Radiant Ceiling Heat is Better

The Upside of Radiant Heat in Floors

Ask almost anyone in the heating trade about radiant panel heating and they’ll probably start describing tubing embedded in floors. Radiant floor heating is by far the biggest part of the radiant panel market. It’s an excellent approach in many projects ranging from residential all the way up to heavy industrial applications. However, it’s not necessarily the ideal solution in the coming generation of low-energy-use houses.

“Radiant floor heating is by far the biggest part of the radiant panel market.”

When viewed only from the standpoint of heat source performance, the low operating temperature of a bare concrete slab with closely spaced tubing (6-in. to 9-in. spacing) is very beneficial. A well-insulated house on a design day may only require supply water temperatures in the range of 85° F to 90° to maintain the interior space at 70°. Condensing boilers, solar collectors and hydronic heat pumps all love to operate at these low temperatures and show their gratitude by operating near the upper end of their performance range.

Radiant Heating Installed In Ceilings And Floors

Radiant Heating Installed In Ceilings And Floors

The Benefits of Radiant Heat in Ceilings

That’s the good news. The downside is two-fold: First, the average floor surface temperature required of a heated floor in a well-insulated house is only a few degrees above the room temperature. You can estimate this average floor surface temperature using Formula 1.

“The downside is two-fold: First, the average floor surface temperature required of a heated floor in a well-insulated house is only a few degrees above the room temperature.”

Formula 1

Where:

TS(ave) = average floor surface temperature (°F)

TR = room air temperature (°F)

q = upward heat flux from floor (Btu/hr./ft2)

For example, imagine a house with 2,000 sq. ft. of heated floor area and a modest design heat loss of 30,000 Btu/hr. The required upward heat flux under design load conditions is: (see above)

Assuming the room air temperature was to be maintained at 70°, the average floor surface temperature would be: (see above)

This temperature is at or slightly below normal bare skin temperature. In such a case, heat would be conducting from the foot or hand to the flow, as shown by the infrared image in Figure 1. During most of the heating season, the floor surface temperature would be even lower, perhaps around 74° when the outdoor temperature is 35°.

“True, the floor is still warmer than it would be with convective-type heating. But it may not be delivering the “barefoot friendly” effect so widely advertised as a benefit of radiant floor heating.”

True, the floor is still warmer than it would be with convective-type heating. But it may not be delivering the “barefoot friendly” effect so widely advertised as a benefit of radiant floor heating. The fact that the room is still maintained at 70° is unlikely to placate the unmet customer expectations of warm-to-the-touch floors.

The other drawback is thermal response. Low-energy-use houses are especially susceptible to rapid temperature changes from internal gains. In many new homes, this is further exacerbated by above-average passive solar heat gains.

These characteristics don’t bode well for high-mass heat emitters, such as heated concrete slabs. Spaces will quickly overheat when the sun comes out and much of the solar gain will be lost through the ventilation necessary to keep the house from turning into a sauna.

Low-energy-use houses need heat emitter systems capable of rapidly changing their rate of heat delivery. Think Jet Ski rather than oil tanker. One good candidate is a low-mass radiant ceiling panel.

“Radiant heated ceilings deliver more than 90% of their heat output as thermal radiation. They “shine” thermal radiation down into the room much as a light fixture shines visible light downward.”

5 Ways Radiant Ceiling Heat is Better

Heated ceilings deliver more than 90% of their heat output as thermal radiation. They “shine” thermal radiation down into the room much as a light fixture shines visible light downward. They offer several benefits:

Radiant heated ceilings have low thermal mass.

Low-mass radiant ceilings can quickly warm up following a cold start. They are ideal in rooms where quick recovery from setback conditions is desirable. Low mass also means they can quickly suspend heat output when necessary. This helps limit overheating when significant solar heat gain occurs.

Radiant heated ceilings higher heat output.

Because occupants are not in contact with them, radiant heated ceilings can be operated at higher surface temperatures than radiant floors. This allows greater heat output per sq. ft. of ceiling. For example, a ceiling operating at an average surface temperature of 102° releases approximately 55 Btu/hr./ft2 into a room maintained at 68°. This is almost 60% more heat output than a radiant floor with a mean surface temperature limit of 85°.

Not affected by changing floor coverings.

It’s probably safe to say the days of shag-carpeted ceilings are over. Ceilings are the least likely surface of a room to ever be covered, especially by anything with high thermal resistance. Thus, the output of a heated ceiling is very unlikely to be compromised by future changes, such as surface coverings or furniture placement.

Radiant heated ceilings warm objects in the room.

The energy emitted from a radiant heated ceiling is absorbed by the surfaces in the room below. This includes unobstructed floor area as well as the surfaces of objects in the room. The upward-facing surfaces tend to absorb the majority of the radiant energy; the top of beds, tables and furniture are slightly warmer than the room air temperature. The surface temperature of floors below an active radiant ceiling will be slightly warmer than they would be if the room were heated by convection.

Radiant heated ceilings are easy to retrofit.

Radiant ceilings are usually easier to retrofit into existing rooms than are radiant floors. They add very little weight to the structure and require minimal loss of headroom.

Interested in a Free Quote?

Our panels offer the best balance of high-performance, cost, and environmental responsibility in the radiant floor panel heating market. Give us a call at 866-341-1854 or submit a request for a free quote delivered factory direct to your jobsite.

Tile Over Radiant Heating Boards

Cost Effective Installation of Tile Over Radiant Floor Heating Boards

This radiant floor heating article is designed to communicate a quality and cost effective method of installing ceramic tile over radiant floor heating board systems. The system shown below is straight forward and avoids using unnecessarily expensive and complex products.

Overview of Materials:

All materials expand and contract at different rates and with tile it is particularly important to accommodate this in a quality installation over radiant heating boards. Radiant floors typically go through a range of floor temperatures depending on the amount of heat loss occurring at the time.

In moderate weather the floor temperature may only be a few degrees hotter than the room temperature but in extreme heat loss conditions it could under certain circumstances be as much as 15°F hotter than the room temperature. The co-efficient of thermal expansion of the radiant board substrata and ceramic tile are not the same. Properly installed tile is very durable but will be prone to cracking if provision is not made to account for the differing expansion of these layers of materials.

By utilizing a flexible crack isolation membrane this challenge can be cost effectively solved and also provide, with proper installation and material choice, protection from moisture getting into the substrata. Since tile is so frequently installed in locations that are prone to moisture such as bathrooms and kitchens this moisture protection is important.

Suggested Installation Method for Tile over Radiant Floor Heating

The system described above is the cost effective system that our company recommends for our Ecowarm Radiant Board. But it is generic enough that, with small common sense changes should be applicable to most infloor radiant board systems.

In the drawing the radiant board is attached to the subfloor using, preferably, a low VOV green construction adhesive glue on the bottom along with screws or cross staples from a sheathing stapler at the eight attachment points. Cross stapling means putting 2 staples at opposing 45 degree angles close to each other. Cross stapling along with the bottom side glue makes for a very secure and squeak resistant installation of the board. The next step is installing cementitious backer board over the radiant board. It may be ¼” .3/8” or ½” depending on the needs of matching other floor heights.

How to have a record of where the tubing is:

Before installing the backer board a thick sheet of clear plastic should be cut to size of the room or area to be installed with the backer board. Using a permanent marker make a template of where the tubing runs are. The plastic template can be unrolled and used to locate where to snap lines that will locate the tubing to avoid screwing through. Taking photographs of the tubing installation is a good idea also. The backerboard may be installed to the radiant board using modified thin set and screwed to the radiant board.

The hydronic tubing should be under an air pressure test during the installation so that if a puncture occurred it would be found. To date we have not found a modified thin set that is incompatible with the PEX pipe used in the radiant board but it is always good to check with the PEX manufacturer as well. There are other PEX pipe compatible adhesives such as Bostik Greenforce that can be used to adhere backerboard to our radiant board but are more expensive than thin set. Remember all glues take longer to set on aluminum since only one of the two surfaces is absorbent. Once the backerboard is attached to the radiant board, an anti-fracture membrane should be installed over it.

We recommend products from the Noble Corporation http://noblecompany.com since they were early supporters of the radiant floor heating industry and trade groups called and have very radiant savvy tech support people. They make a range of appropriate products but the one we recommend is called Noble Seal TS http://noblecompany.com/products/nobleseal-ts which performs as a crack isolation or antifracture membrane and when properly installed adds water proofing of the substrata. Properly installed and rated in TCNA approved tests as High Performance, it will accommodate up to 1/8” differences in the expansion and contraction of the layers thus preventing cracking of the tile.


Photo courtesy of The Noble Company

The anti-fracture membrane is made from an extruded CPE sheet layer pf polyester fiber bonded to  either side. TS may be installed on the cementitious backboard in two ways. The first way is with modified thin set mortar which requires a cure time before the installation of the tile, or in the case of Noble Seal TS there is an adhesive called Nobel Bond EXT that can be used that has enough tack that tile may be installed using modified thin set on it, without the additional cure time. The membrane may be made waterproof by lapping it 2”and using a waterproof sealant such as NobleSealant 150 to bond the overlap.

There are other brands with anti-fracture membranes and a family of related products where the installation would be similar. Lastly, tile is usually thin set to the anti-fracture membrane and after an appropriate drying period grout is applied.

Designing Radiant Floor Heating That Is The Best Combination of High Performance, Environmental Responsiblity And Cost

I grew up in a house with an addition with radiant floor heating. My mother was a Frank Lloyd Wright fan and so the new wing on our house had radiant floor heating with tubing in concrete covered with a thin cork floor. Frank Lloyd Wright was an early proponent of radiant floor heating. I remember it was always warm and inviting in the big playroom with radiant heat where we kids always played. Later as a professor at the University of New Mexico in the early 1980s, I met a Norwegian who was promoting and educating people about radiant floor heating. Again I was amazed at how comfortable it was. This time I also wanted to understand the thermodynamics of how it worked and all the ways it could be installed. Thus began my now 36 year involvement with radiant floor heating.

Read more

Why Modern Architects & Builders Choose Radiant Floor Heating

Article written by Morgan Muir

I am writing this article so that architects and builders can learn more about radiant floor heating, and to provide a tool for introducing clients to radiant floor heating, and why they should choose Ecowarm RadiantBoard.

Read more

Heating Distribution Systems are Not All Alike

Hydronic Radiant Heat Compared to Forced Air Heating Systems

Hydronic systems are inherently more efficient than forced air due to basic physics – water is far superior to air as a material for absorbing heat. Coupled with a low water temperature supply product like Ecowarm you will enjoy the superior comfort of radiant floor heat at a far lower price than traditional forced air.
Read more

Martha’s Vineyard Mechanical Contractor Incorporates Radiant Heating in His Own Net Zero Strategy

Article featured on Plumbing & Mechanical Engineer Magazine May Edition

Mechanical Engineer Incorporates Radiant Floor Heating In Net Zero Energy Strategy

Matt Millard, owner of Performance Mechanical Inc at his home in Edgartown, Massachusetts

Matt Millard, owner of Performance Mechanical in Edgartown, Massachusetts, loves to experiment with new technologies. His career has spanned commercial piping and mechanical and residential heating systems. He currently installs plenty of efficient air-to-air heat pumps but recently wanted to step up to hydronic radiant heating for his own home addition using an air-to-water heat pump.

Millard added a 1,500-square-foot multi-purpose room and extra bedroom with a bathroom over his attached garage workshop. This is part of his successful grand strategy to make his house Net Zero Energy.
Read more

Heating Distribution Systems are Not All Alike

Hydronic Radiant Heat Compared to Forced Air Heating Systems Hydronic systems are inherently more efficient than forced air due to basic physics – water is far superior to air as a material for absorbing heat. Coupled with a low water temperature supply product like Ecowarm you will enjoy the superior comfort of radiant floor heat […]