Electric Floor Heat --> More Radiant Heat Articles --> Electric Radiant Heating Electric Radiant HeatingElectric radiant heating is not appropriate for all homes. It works well for only certain home designs. If you are having it installed, it is important to know as much about it as possible. What are the costs, what are the benefits to this type of heating system?
Hydronic floor heating consists of flexible tubes installed under the floor carrying heated water. This radiant heat will warm people and objects in the room.
Electric radiant heating works in the same manner as hydronic except that instead of water filled tubes heating the room, electric heating elements provide the heat. It is easier and less expensive to install an electric radiant heating system than a hydronic system. You can heat the whole house or just a specific zone with either system. The electric elements are mats made of fabric either that have the cables woven into them or cables that are coated in an electrical insulation. The elements are then embedded into the floor. The fabric mats look a type of electric blanket with loops of cable embedded into the fabric. The cable loops use approximately twelve watts of power per square foot. Electric radiant heating can be slow to heat up the floor if it is buried an inch deep in a concrete sub floor. It could take several hours to heat the concrete. If you have a tile floor that covers a heating mat, then you will notice that the floor is heated in about an hour, which is considerably less. Installing electric radiant heating mats is less expensive than installing cables. The reason it is less expensive is because it takes less time and the mats require less floor thickness than the cables. If you have a low ceiling, this is something that can sway your decision rather quickly. The type of flooring you have could also have an impact on the type of electric radiant heating you have installed. For example, wood flooring is better for a slow-changing temperature, which is what a concrete sub floor system would allow.
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