Benefits of Concrete Floor Radiant Heat

If you're building a house or adding a room on a slab foundation, concrete floor radiant heat may be a wise investment worth considering. Concrete is an ideal carrier of radiant heat due it's inherent thermal mass.

A slab floor is pretty cold. With radiant heating, walking on the floor in the winter is cozy, comfortable, and inviting. When warm water passes through the tubing, it turns the floor into an efficient and inconspicuous radiator. It can warm the floor up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmth will then slowly radiate up into the room, which is unlike traditional heating systems that blow the heated air into your home.

Besides the warmth and comfort that this technology brings, radiant floor heating will also lower your energy cost. Installation can be a bit costly, but the system is more economical than forced air heat and can retain heat better. Keep in mind that energy cost also depends on the region where you live, severity of winter, fuel source, system layout, and the quality of the insulation in your home.

Radiant heating also allows you to heat your home in zones. Different areas of your house can be heated at different temperatures, which gives you the ability to direct heat to certain rooms that would otherwise stay colder, such as the basement. You can also lower the thermostat in rooms that aren't being used. Because a concrete floor can retain heat and release it slowly, you can turn the heat off during the day and still maintain a warm house for hours, saving even more energy cost.

The hidden nature of concrete floor radiant heat is beneficial as well. The system runs silently, and there are no visible components, such as vents and baseboard heaters. The absence of blowing air can be important for those with allergies. No dust, germs, and other allergens are blown through heating ducts and out into the air.