The frigid mornings of winter have hit our homes hard again, leaving us dreaming of how nice it would be to have radiant heat. Many decide that this kind of warming system makes a great addition to their bathroom or kitchen floor, but little else. Unfortunately, to provide the entire home with radiant floors can be quite costly.
You may ask, “What will I need to pay to have radiant heat put into my existing house?” For your house that is currently built and in need of a heating system, you may need to use electric instead of a hot water radiating unit. The reason being that a hydronic unit is simply too costly and too hard to install in as little as a couple of rooms. The hot water systems may be more expensive than an electric radiant heat unit for one or two areas of your house.
It’s the people who had their heating system put in during the construction of the house who are fortunate enough to take pleasure from the warmth radiating around the entire house. There’s no question that installing the floor units is much less difficult during the building process. However, many times people are more concerned with saving on the initial building expenses, so many houses today go without this amenity.
If you are looking to put in electric radiant heat, be prepared to pull up the floors to place heating element beneath them. That a skilled tradesman who clearly understands this kind of job should do the work is an understatement. Provided that it doesn’t end up costing you a small fortune, your new luxury will more that pay for itself in the long run.
It’s also nice to know that, with your new radiant heat, you won’t have to put up with the noise and sporadic heat of forced hot air… not to mention the dry skin. The best way to describe how radiant heat feels is to remember what it’s like to have the sun bathe you with warmth. Unlike air vents blowing heat in gusts around each room, radiant systems spread heat consistently and gently to every area of your home… giving off a nice, smooth, comfortable warmth that feels wonderful.