Floor heating is perhaps the most efficient and friendly way of heating today. It uses radiant heat for regulating the temperature of the room.
The heat is supplied in two ways, by heated water and electric cables. The biggest advantage of floor heating is that it can be used with nearly all kinds of floor surfaces although it depends on the floor finishing.
The heating system cannot be seen from the room and hence it does not occupy any space. And since the entire floor area is used to provide heating, the temperature need not be set very high.
It reduces the heat loss that is caused by infiltration in case of forced heating systems. The room air is not blown away from the room and the air as well as the heat stay in the room at all times. Even when a door or a window is opened, the temperature will not drop. It warms up the entire body and surrounding objects.
The heating can be compared to standing out in sunlight during winters. Also by keeping the temperature of the floor heating low, we can attain more efficient heating than when the temperature is high.
Generally, hot water is circulated in pipes that are laid down uniformly under the floor. This is not a very effective way of heating as the pipes are susceptible to blockades and water bubbles. The bubbles are very hard to prevent and will reduce the flow of the fluid by an appreciable amount.
Although the installation costs are quite high, they prove very economical in the long run. In fact, they can achieve energy savings as high as 40% as compared to the energy saved by conventional heating systems. The pipes used are very durable and can last for about a century. But once they are damaged, their repair is very difficult as they are under the floor of the room. In case a number of joints are present, maintenance becomes very important.
In electrical floor heating system, the installation cost is much lower and they are easy to install. Since a simple thermostat is used, the starting cost is also low.
Due to the small area of the electric cables, the floor build up can be made as low as 1mm. The heating is fast and takes minimal time to heat.
If a single cable is used for heating a room, a number of loops are required. The main problem with using a single cable is that the cable spacing may be uneven, causing hot and cold spots.
Also, the installation is time consuming. Nowadays, a cable mat is used which is a network of a number of cables connected to each other and are very simple to install. The main drawback of electrical heating is fossil fuels are used to generate electrical energy and a large amount of energy is used up in the power station and transmission systems.
This makes it quite inefficient from a wider perspective. Hot water heaters on the other hand use high efficiency boilers and fuels making them more economical in the longer run. But despite these issues, the floor heating systems provide one of the most comfortable methods for heating purposes.
|
