In the modern world, one thing people value the most is convenience. This convenience is something offered by the latest technologies. Thus, the rising popularity of smart technology and the internet of things. One of its biggest products is a smart home.
Smart homes allow homeowners to monitor and control home attributes using a remote or a smartphone. To paint a picture, homeowners can turn on or off all the lights in their homes with just one tap on their phones. They can even change their colors.
But we are not here to talk about lights. You came here to know whether installing radiant floor heating for your smart home is worth it. Continue reading, then. This article will enlighten you about the pros and cons of the said technology.
Pros
Radiant Floor Heating Is Effortless To Run
Again, people want smart homes because of the convenience they provide. The less trivial tasks they have to do, the more time they can spend on being productive or on relaxing. Thus, underfloor heating’s nature of being maintenance-free is one of its strengths.
After installation, it requires virtually no maintenance. The underfloor heating controllers will ensure that heating runs efficiently through a Smart WiFi thermostat. Either that or you use a programmable thermostat that you set to make heating come at certain times. The latter way will grant you more control – allowing you to switch the heating on or off at night automatically.
Nevertheless, both options are better than using a traditional radiator, which from time to time, demands your attention.
Underfloor Heating Provides Energy Efficient Heating
Saving is rarely a bad thing. But if it is saving energy and cash, it is never a bad thing. That’s why you should opt for radiant floor heating.
There are two existing types of radiant floor heating. One uses electric systems, while the other uses water systems. For the latter, hot water runs through pipes to create heat. Meanwhile, the other type generates warmth by heating up wires hidden beneath the floor. Both systems warm up a room consistently and efficiently.
As mentioned above, underfloor heating also consumes less energy. Therefore, your bills will be far lower compared to when you use traditional radiators. To put things into perspective, a radiator needs to be heated to 149 – 167 degrees Fahrenheit or 65 – 67 degrees Celsius for it to heat up a room effectively. Meanwhile, underfloor heating only needs to be at 84 degrees Fahrenheit or 29 degrees Celsius to accomplish the same task. It can even be lower, depending on the floor finish. Even more good news, underfloor heating does not overheat. The smart thermostat ensures that it is at the desired temperature at all times.
Avoid Cold Spots By Using Radiant Floor Heating
Another thing underfloor heating provides that traditional radiator doesn’t is equal heating. Oftentimes, heat from radiators can’t reach parts of the room. Thus, there are cold spots – commonly in the middle of the room. Meanwhile, it is scorching in the immediate vicinity of the radiators. Indeed, this outdated technology provides unequal heating.
On the other hand, since with radiant floor heating heat comes up from the floor itself, all areas of the room are covered. The even distribution of heat ensures that there are no cold spots.
Underfloor Heating Grants More Space And design Freedom
Since the heating equipment is hidden under the floor, it does not take space in the actual room. That is contrary to radiators that even the most modern versions take space at the wall. This gives you so much design freedom. Just imagine how more aesthetically pleasing your room will be with paintings, photographs, or even shelves on the wall. Certainly, it will look ten folds better than when radiators are there instead. You can even go minimalist if that is what you prefer. The gist is that your design choices are not limited due to the removal of radiators on the walls.
On top of that, you are free to choose whatever floor type you want. Radiant floor heating works well with laminate, wood, tile, stone, carpet, and more. Again, this is more design freedom.
Less Stress, More Safety, More Comfort
When you have traditional radiators at home, you always have to worry about sharp edges and hot surfaces. If there are children at home, the stress levels are even heightened. With radiant floor heating, however, you don’t have to worry about that.
Aside from safety from hot surfaces, underfloor heating also provides more comfort. With this heating system, air quality is better. Keep in mind that high temperatures reduce oxygen levels. Consequently, it leads to discomfort. Moreover, it causes dust to go in circles due to the thermal circulation in the room. That’s why underfloor heating is better than radiator-centered heating systems. The latter causes these negative things while the former keeps the air fresh and oxygen-rich.
Cons
Nothing is perfect. So even radiant floor heating systems have weaknesses. The first one is the cost of installation. A technology that is as advanced as this is not inexpensive.
Cost Of Installation
Installation is estimated to cost $10 to $20 per square foot. But that’s not all you would need to spend. You also have to enlist the help of a qualified electrician to connect the system to your power supply. Depending on who you choose and where you live, their services may cost $200 to $250. Based on this, the average cost of installing an electric underfloor heating system is $500. Should you choose water-based systems, prepare double or triple that amount.
Takes A Long Time – Especially DIY Radiant Floor Heating
Usually, with underfloor heating systems, you would need to apply a self-leveling compound before you can put the floor covering in place. The thing is, this compound does not completely dry quickly. Normally, it takes a whole day or two.
Water-base systems take longer to put in place. However, since these are most of the time chosen only for bigger buildings or renovation projects. It doesn’t matter too much. Those projects usually take a week to finish anyway.
Underfloor Heating Increases Floor Height
Radiant floor heating increases floor height by up to 1/2 of an inch. But that’s not all. You would want to place insulation boards beneath the heating equipment. This is to ensure that all heat goes up to the room rather than down to the ground. These boards will increase floor height by roughly another inch.
But don’t worry. There’s still a solution if raising floor height is an issue for you. Some of the electric heating systems sold are extremely thin. And hence, they don’t affect floor height that much.
These cons are nothing compared to the benefits you would get from underfloor heating. It makes your smart home infinitely better. So if you can afford it, go for it.
Radiant Floor Heating Review: Should You or Should You Not Opt For Radiant Floor Heating?
If you don’t mind your ceilings being half an inch closer towards your head and can afford the massive investment that it is, it’s a great new way to modernize any house, old or new. Radiant floor heating is future-proofing as well, since there is potential to replace or upgrade the actual heat source to a more efficient method, allowing for more affording long-term heating for your smart home. We will be keeping our eyes open for more innovations in DIY radiant floor heating, so people can install this new technology themselves and save a significant cost of the otherwise worthy investment.