Radiant floors can be a wonderful addition to a Red Deer home. While it’s true that you can install these types of systems in nearly any structure, there are however many places and situations in which it’s just not the best approach to take. Where do radiant floors make the most sense? Here are five areas to consult when considering if or where this type of heating system might work well for your particular structure and lifestyle.

Flooring Materials Present

One area to consider is the home’s flooring materials where radiant may be applied. Radiant heat can be used in conjunction with almost all flooring materials, but for an effective end-result, certain materials should be avoided. Wood floors are acceptable and can permeate the heat well enough. For the best results though, stone and ceramic tile surfaces are the most ideal.

Area Size Serviced

What is the total size of the area you would like to be serviced by the system? With radiant systems, larger spaces are more efficiently covered, and this is usually done by way of a water-based, hydronic system. Smaller spaces aren’t usually as efficient to heat but can be heated by way of an electrical radiant heat setup. Electricity is used for smaller spaces and water for larger spaces or whole-home setups. The water method is much more efficient in terms of heat created per dollar spent on energy.

Current Thermal Efficiency

In virtually all cases, your home can be placed into one of three categories of thermal efficiency, or the aptitude towards energy consumption used in keeping the structure warm. They are:

– Excellent: The structure is very sustainable, and it requires much less energy to maintain interior warmth than in most other, similar kinds of structures.

– Good: Energy consumption is lower than average in keeping this structure warm. It is more than likely that modern approaches were taken into consideration for the design and construction therein.

– Average, Poor: Energy efficiency probably wasn’t a concern at the time of design and construction. Plenty of additional energy must then be used in order to maintain interior comfort during colder months.

A home that ranks somewhere in the middle of this rating system is the most ideal candidate for radiant heat. A home with a poor thermal efficiency rating will only place undue demand on this system which is designed for supplement rather than primary heat source. On the other hand, the home that stands at the pinnacles of thermal efficiency is not a good candidate either as too much warmth and insulation value can cause system issues as well.

New Construction Vs. Remodel

In new construction, a radiant setup is easily added into the plan if construction is not nearing its end. This is because everything is open and accessible. In the remodel however, it can be a whole other process working the radiant system into the prebuilt parameters of the home. This later approach is certainly carried out quite regularly but is generally more difficult and costly at the time of install.

Vacation Home Vs. Primary Residence

Vacation homes are not ideal for radiant systems because of their need to run continuously. Quite the opposite, a permanent residence is a much more ideal location for such a system. Here, owners are present much more often should there be a problem, and it’s not a waste to keep the system running continuously as it should.

Radiant heating systems truly can make for outstanding additions to any new or older home. There are however, circumstances that make this proposition much more or less effective. Consider these five, aforementioned areas of your home and lifestyle, and you will be prepared to make a more informed decision when it comes to radiant heat in your future.