Should I Heat My Floors? - 6 Answers to Your Most Common Questions
| by Ingrid Weir | June 12, 2007
My floors aren't that cold, are they? What kind of flooring can I heat? What about operating costs? Is floor heating energy-efficient? What's in it for me? I live in the South... we don't need heated floors here, right?
These, among many others, are all questions that I have come across in my years, working in this industry... and today, I will answer them for you!
1. My floors aren't that cold, are they?
Well, yes, when we have people touch our demo unit, you would be amazed at their reactions. We have an unheated (cold) tile on one side and a warmed tile on the other side. I can't even describe the looks on their faces... I've actually had people stand there, with their hand on the demo unit, while talking.
Also, we all know that we lose most of our heat through our feet, so it makes sense to keep the floors warm. Between the location of the heating being at your feet and the way that radiant heating heats you in a similar way to the sun's rays, research has shown that most people are comfortable at temperatures that are between 6-10 degrees lower than with forced air.
2. Under what kinds of flooring can we put heating?
You name it... carpeting, tile, hardwood (floating and laminate), vinyl, stone, area rugs, shower floors... you name it, it can be heated. For under wall-to-wall flooring, you would use a GFCI-protected, programmable smart thermostat that controls both the ambient and floor temperatures, so you have complete control over your individual comfort level. If you already have your flooring installed or just want spot heating, there is the portable, under rug heater that you simply plug in and turn on and off or use an appliance timer for your convenience.
3. What about operating costs?
This, of course, depends on your utility company as far as the actual cost to operate, but I can tell you that you may be surprised at how little electricity they use. I know that my heating bills have gone down considerably, since I started using radiant floor heating in my home, years ago.
4. Is floor heating energy-efficient?
Between the low electrical use, the fact that you are warmer at lower temperatures, and the fact that you are only heating the areas that you are using, electric radiant floor heating is extremely energy-efficient.
5. What's in it for me?
* As already stated, there is the comfort factor, energy savings.
* You can also dust your house less because you don't have to worry about central heating blowing air around in your house and circulating mold, dust, viruses and bacteria, and other allergens and environmental contaminants around your home or office.
* If you have sore joints, as I do, it helps to increase circulation.
* There is no maintenance.
* No EMF (electromagnetic field).
* It's silent, so you won't have the noise pollution from other heating systems.
* These systems are also completely safe and GFCI-protected, so there is no risk of electric shock or fire!
6. I live in the South... we don't need heated floors here, right?
This one has been common, particularly among builders... but think about it... we all have some sort of heating systems in our homes, and we know we are using them, based on our utilities going up so much in the winter, right? I know that here, in Georgia, I couldn't possibly go without heating, and my floors were always coldest before I had Speedheat.
I remember when I was younger, my mother used to always lay down on the floor for a couple of minutes, to make sure that the kids were warm down there.
"We can't tell how cold they are down there since we are so high off of the ground", my mom used to say.
When I interviewed for Speedheat, that was the first thing that came to my mind.
"Oh, my gosh!", I exclaimed. "Now I won't have to worry about choosing between roasting in my house and freezing my kids!"
SUMMARY:
I hope this overview provided useful information on electric radiant floor heating and helped to answer some of your questions. Please visit www.speedheat.us or contact Ingrid Weir at 1-888-WARM FLOOR (1-888-927-6356) ext. 200 for more information.
These, among many others, are all questions that I have come across in my years, working in this industry... and today, I will answer them for you!
1. My floors aren't that cold, are they?
Well, yes, when we have people touch our demo unit, you would be amazed at their reactions. We have an unheated (cold) tile on one side and a warmed tile on the other side. I can't even describe the looks on their faces... I've actually had people stand there, with their hand on the demo unit, while talking.
Also, we all know that we lose most of our heat through our feet, so it makes sense to keep the floors warm. Between the location of the heating being at your feet and the way that radiant heating heats you in a similar way to the sun's rays, research has shown that most people are comfortable at temperatures that are between 6-10 degrees lower than with forced air.
2. Under what kinds of flooring can we put heating?
You name it... carpeting, tile, hardwood (floating and laminate), vinyl, stone, area rugs, shower floors... you name it, it can be heated. For under wall-to-wall flooring, you would use a GFCI-protected, programmable smart thermostat that controls both the ambient and floor temperatures, so you have complete control over your individual comfort level. If you already have your flooring installed or just want spot heating, there is the portable, under rug heater that you simply plug in and turn on and off or use an appliance timer for your convenience.
3. What about operating costs?
This, of course, depends on your utility company as far as the actual cost to operate, but I can tell you that you may be surprised at how little electricity they use. I know that my heating bills have gone down considerably, since I started using radiant floor heating in my home, years ago.
4. Is floor heating energy-efficient?
Between the low electrical use, the fact that you are warmer at lower temperatures, and the fact that you are only heating the areas that you are using, electric radiant floor heating is extremely energy-efficient.
5. What's in it for me?
* As already stated, there is the comfort factor, energy savings.
* You can also dust your house less because you don't have to worry about central heating blowing air around in your house and circulating mold, dust, viruses and bacteria, and other allergens and environmental contaminants around your home or office.
* If you have sore joints, as I do, it helps to increase circulation.
* There is no maintenance.
* No EMF (electromagnetic field).
* It's silent, so you won't have the noise pollution from other heating systems.
* These systems are also completely safe and GFCI-protected, so there is no risk of electric shock or fire!
6. I live in the South... we don't need heated floors here, right?
This one has been common, particularly among builders... but think about it... we all have some sort of heating systems in our homes, and we know we are using them, based on our utilities going up so much in the winter, right? I know that here, in Georgia, I couldn't possibly go without heating, and my floors were always coldest before I had Speedheat.
I remember when I was younger, my mother used to always lay down on the floor for a couple of minutes, to make sure that the kids were warm down there.
"We can't tell how cold they are down there since we are so high off of the ground", my mom used to say.
When I interviewed for Speedheat, that was the first thing that came to my mind.
"Oh, my gosh!", I exclaimed. "Now I won't have to worry about choosing between roasting in my house and freezing my kids!"
SUMMARY:
I hope this overview provided useful information on electric radiant floor heating and helped to answer some of your questions. Please visit www.speedheat.us or contact Ingrid Weir at 1-888-WARM FLOOR (1-888-927-6356) ext. 200 for more information.
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