What is Radiant Heating and How Does it Work?

When heating your home, the heat must travel throughout the entirety of your house. Unless you are investing in a space heater, your heating system needs to transfer hot air to every room of your home. 

Radiant heating transfers heat through your floor, walls, and ceiling to keep you and your family warm at all times. 

A Custom Services, Inc. is a professional HVAC company that provides radiant heating services to thousands of Chicago, IL, homes each year. Our expert contractors can answer all your house heating questions and make your transfer to radiant heating smooth and efficient. Give us a call today to learn more about our services or schedule an appointment. 

What is Radiant Heat? 

Simply put, radiant heating is one of the most effective ways to heat your home. 

It dates back to Ancient Rome. Radiant heat works to move heat from a hot surface and transfer it to cool parts of your home. The unique thing about radiant heat is it only heats a surface when it needs heating. This trait makes it energy efficient. 

While heat is traveling from a warm place to a cool one, you will not feel it. It moves in an undetectable manner. The benefit of this is you will never have a room that is too hot because the heat will not rise to the surface of a floor that is already warm. This heating option works better than a baseboard heating system. 

Benefits of Radiant Heating

There are many benefits you get from installing radiant heating underneath your floorboards. 

• Energy Efficient. Firstly, radiant heating is energy efficient. Because it only sends heat to places that need it, radiant heating only runs at 84 degrees Fahrenheit. By comparison, most heating systems run around 150-160 degrees Fahrenheit. Plus, a floor heating system takes away the potential for losing hot air in the network of ducts that most heaters have. 
• Quiet. Another benefit of radiant heating is that it is the quietest form of heating there is. It makes no sound at all. With most heating systems, you can hear vents flicking or radiators humming. That is not the case with a radiant heating system. 
• No ductwork. Also, floor heating systems contain no ductwork. That means they are ideal for people with allergies or asthma. When HVAC units send air through vents, they spread pollutants around your home. With a contained heating system, you won’t have any dust particles floating around. 
• Easy to control. Controlling the temperature of your home is essential to ensure the comfort of you and your family. You are in total control with a radiant heating system. Everyone in the house will be kept warm. Plus, floor heating helps humidity levels in your home more than other forms of heating systems. 

Types of Radiant Heating 

With radiant heating , there are many types to choose from. 

Electric Radiant Heating 

Electric heating is among the priciest forms of radiant heating you can invest in. HVAC contractors line electric cables beneath the floor. However, you can only install electric heating if you have a concrete board that is thick enough to support a heavy undercurrent of electricity. 

Hydronic Floor Heating

In hydronic heating, contractors install tubing under the floor. The heat comes from your home’s boiler. Because of its cost efficiency, liquid radiant heating is the most popular for our customers. 

Air Floor Heating

Air floor heating is another type of radiant heating you can invest in. Air heating systems are less common because they tend not to be efficient. Typically, air floor systems work with a solar heating system. Air floor systems may apply to some commercial clients, but we recommend electric or liquid heating for most of our customers. 

Overall, radiant heating works with many different materials. If you have wood, concrete, or marble floors, there is a radiant heating system out there for you. 

Hire a Quality Contractor 

When you want to install a radiant heating system, it is vital to hire a qualified HVAC contractor. Never, under any circumstance, attempt to build a heating system on your own. That can put you and your family in extreme danger. 

Contact a professional company to ensure a smooth installation. Licensed and insured HVAC contractors train for years to perform their duties safely. 

When looking for a contractor, ask your friends or family for recommendations. Word-of-mouth referrals are commonplace in the HVAC industry. Be careful with online reviews. Positive reviews could be fake and negative reviews could be misplaced. With that, you can find many reliable companies on the internet. 

Professional contractors also know how to work within local business codes and have the necessary permits or work on renovation projects. You need permission for many home projects, such as installing a floor heating system. 

Another benefit of hiring a contractor is they assume liability if your house incurs damage during the process. Similarly, most contractors have worker’s comp, which will ensure you are not responsible if a contractor injures themselves on the job. Plus, you won’t have to worry about paying for repair costs if the job goes wrong. 

You will get better prices on materials by hiring an HVAC professional because contractors will have their own supply of materials that they receive a discount on. You will get more bang for your buck. 

Call A Custom Services, Inc. Today 

If your home can support a radiant heating system, let our expert team of contractors do the job for you. We have decades of experience working with radiant heating in Chicago, IL , homes. We are passionate about providing a more comfortable home for you and your family. 

Efficient heating is necessary to survive the harsh Chicago winters. We will ensure your and your family’s comfort by installing a heating system that will keep your home toasty this winter.

We are always available to take your call. Contact us at (773) 985-4732 . We can take you through our work process and schedule an appointment to visit your home and lay out a plan to install radiant heating.