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The Advantages of Electric Radiant Heating Systems
It’s easy for do-it-yourselfers to become confused when deciding on a underfloor heating system for their home. Here are some advantages they might find when using electric radiant heating over hydronic heating.
Having warm tiles on your floor means more than being comfortable during the winter – it can mean a big savings in heating costs during the coldest months of the year. As people are looking to save money during these tough economic times, they are looking into their heating costs and discovering that a floor heating system is one way they can heat their homes while providing significant savings over standard central heating.
However, there can be confusion over which type of floor heating system to use. Some floor heating systems offer hydronic heating, which uses a series of pipes below the floor to pump warm water and heat the tiles of the house. Other systems use the radiant floor heating method of electric cables that heat the tiles from below. It can be very confusing for people to decide which method is right for them.
There are several reasons why electric radiant heating is typically a better choice than hydronic heating. A major factor is the cost of installation and use. Since hydronic floor heating requires a heated boiler along with installation of a network of pipes, the initial cost of setting up the floor heating system can be many times higher than setting up a radiant heating system. Along with the initial set-up, hydronic systems are more complex and have more things that can go wrong and require service, adding to the cost of use over time.
In addition, hydronic systems are placed deep into the foundation of a house, meaning that it can take hours for the tiles to warm up if the system has been left off. To compensate, some home owners simply leave their system on all the time, severely impacting the benefits they would otherwise receive. Electric heating systems can be placed much closer to the surface of the floor, meaning that tiles can heat up in a fraction of the time.
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