Floor Heating Systems

 Floor heating is the form of central air-conditioning which controls indoor climate of a building using phenomenon like conduction, radiation and convection.  Normally radiant floor heating systems are recognized for this purpose because radiations are responsible for transfer of heat from one place to another. Some other methods for floor heating require under floor conductors of heat such as electric cables or heated water piping. Floor becomes heated eventually as these conductors get heat through any mean. This heat is distributed among whole space using conduction. Some popular brands offering floor heating are Nuheat, Infloor, Suntouch, Ourlet, Thermat, Warmly Yours etc. You may use furnace heaters or heating ducts for internal heating of a room but the drawback they offer is unequal distribution of heat. This drawback is minimized by floor heating systems and they provide equal and uniform distribution of heat throughout the space.  

Electric Underfloor Heating

While talking about floor heating systems we will firstly discuss electric underfloor heating. Nowadays many people are choosing these systems because these technologies are economical and energy efficient. In this process, an electric coil is laid down on entire surface of the floor. After covering whole area, the system is tied to thermostat and power supply. After this we need to cover this wiring with mud which will level the ground. Floor tiles or panels are applied after mud covering according to the choice of owner. Before turning on this system you need to make sure that whole area is dried and there is no moisture which can lead in conduction of current. Electric underfloor heating systems are very cheap and we can easily install them in any part of room according to our choice. This systems will provide uniform heating and no part of the room is left cold. Temperature can be adjusted according to our choice and thus energy consumption can be controlled. These systems require low maintenance and thermostats can be installed in all rooms. Floor level is raised to few millimeters and loosing ceiling height is not an issue. 

Hydronic Floor Heating Systems

Next come the hydronic floor heating systems. Just like the electric heating systems, hydronic floor heating systems use hot water flowing underneath the floor through conductive pipes instead of electric wires carrying current. These systems are considered to be more efficient and hot water tubes absorb heat for longer period of time. These systems are safe as there is no danger of current. Initial cost of their implementation is bit high and they raise the level of the floor by few inches. However once they are installed, they become economical as compared to other floor heating systems. These systems will provide comfortable and uniform heating. Water heating and pumping systems are required in this process. 

Last type of floor heating system we will discuss in this article is solar floor heating systems. This is one of the modern approaches for this purpose. Solar energy from the sun is used for heating water instead of using expensive fuels. This energy is totally free and environment friendly. This energy from the sun can be used in active form for production of electricity using photovoltaic equipment or passively without use of any equipment. Solar heat collectors are used for harnessing solar thermal power. There are two types of solar floor heating systems known as solar radiant air floors and solar radiant hydronic floors. 

Regards,

The Solar Heating Systems Team

Top