Pros and Cons of Radiant Floor Heating
Radiant floor heating is a popular and luxurious trend in new housing and renovations. It’s a clean, quiet, efficient, and cost-effective way to heat your home. In floor heating is controlled by a thermostat and provides heat through a system of tubes under the floor. A nice warm floor helps you deal with those particularly chilly nights.
However, before you decide to install an in-floor heating system in your home, you should know its pros and cons and evaluate if it is worth the extra cost and work. Consider the following information to help you make the right choice.
Pros of Radiant Floor Heating
Comfortable Home Temperature
The potential comfort an in-floor heating system can bring to your home is like no other. You will no longer have to experience the cold touch of your floors in chilly weather. Radiant heat is also very good for a room’s air quality, it keeps the air fresh and rich in oxygen. Moreover, circulating dust particles are kept to a minimum since there is no air movement.
Free Up Space
Depending on your home, you may be able to replace radiators in some of your spaces with radiant floor heating. Without a radiator, you will gain extra space in the room along the walls. This allows you to get more creative with design and decor. Plus, radiators are not particularly attractive and removing them improves the aesthetic immediately.
Ease of Use
Radiant floor heating can be an attractive option because of its convenience. Most in-floor heating systems are compatible with smart Wi-Fi thermostats, making it easier to control with just a simple push of a button. They also require virtually no maintenance.
Cons of Radiant Floor Heating
Cost of Installation
No matter how much experience you have with home projects, installing radiant floor heating is something you should not attempt to do on your own. You should hire a professional electrician with specialized training. You’ll also need to remove or replace your existing flooring to make room for the new system, adding even more to the cost of your installation.
Installation Time
Another con of installing radiant floor heating is the amount of time it takes to complete the project. Since it is an electric underfloor heating system, there is usually a need to apply a self-leveling compound on top of it. This usually takes a day or two to dry before the flooring can be installed over it. Meanwhile, the installation of the actual heating system typically takes a week.
