Warmzone Blog

If you have a small space in your home that you’d like to heat, a traditional heating system may cost you far more than it’s worth. This is almost always the case for those who may live in small or older homes and apartments. Older homes often times don’t have the necessary heating ducts needed to install a traditional forced air system, and installing these ducts is very expensive. Due to the cost associated with installing these systems, many people choose not to heat smaller rooms. However, there is a very cost effective and efficient solution to this problem.

Many people find that electric radiant heat systems are very cost-effective solutions for smaller spaces (1-5 rooms) because they are easy to install and have a very low start-up cost. An electric thermostat is all that is required and costs only about $100-$200. Another advantage of electric radiant floor heating over a warm-water system is the floor build up or height. Floor build up can be from as little as 2mm. The electric cables are usually installed onto an insulation board or directly onto the subfloor or padding (under carpet or laminate), then the floor covering is placed directly over the heating system or thinset.

Electric Radiant Heat Tip: Also worth noting, warm up times with electric radiant heat systems are generally a lot quicker than “wet” systems because the cables are installed directly below the finished flooring making it a direct acting heat source rather than a storage heater.

It’s rare to find a homeowner who hears “increased comfort and significant cost-efficiency” and isn’t interested in learning more. Before they know it, they are sold on the idea of electric radiant heat for their home heating systems.

The increased comfort and significant efficiency benefits aren’t all that’s offered to homeowners who switch heating systems to electric radiant heat over forced air heating. Another huge benefit to electric radiant heat is that, unlike with central heating and air, with radiant heat you can zone different areas of the house to fit your lifestyle. Some of our customers use one thermostat per floor, while others separate bedroom areas and living spaces. We’re happy to help with recommendations based on your project plans or vision.

Many families will enjoy the allergen reducing qualities of electric radiant heat. Radiant Heat reduces dust mites and air borne allergens by 60%-90%. No other heating system reduces allergies as effectively as electric radiant heat.

Last (but never least), there’s always the increased property value aspect to incorporating an electric radiant heat system to your home. Use radiant to heat your garage, melt ice from your roof, or melt snow from your driveway. A well-designed installation will add more value to your home than the cost of the package.

Electric Radiant Heat Tip: Warmzone.com offers electric radiant heating solutions for almost any application, and any budget.

We find that most people might hear about allergies and asthma and assume that they’re only warm-weather maladies. But the truth is, they’re very often year-round! Allergies and asthma affect at least 60 million Americans in one way or another, generally making the sufferers rather miserable. Many allergy and asthma experts will advise certain changes in housekeeping habits to help alleviate allergy- or asthma-causing conditions in your home. In addition, you might consider changing your heat source to radiant heaters.

Perhaps you might not think that radiant heaters could be such a simple solution to helping keep your home healthy. In reality, radiant heaters improve the air quality, which is important, especially for anyone who suffers from either dust allergies or asthma. Not having to change air filters or clean heating ducts should also cut down dramatically on dust or other allergens in your home’s air.

Eliminating dust mites that live in your home would also go a long way towards helping keep your home healthy. Since dust mites love a warm moist environment, towel heaters and other radiant heater systems aid in maintaining a consistent room temperature and keep it moisture-free…and dust mite-free, too. And don’t forget that mold and mildew — two major allergens — are also caused from excessive moisture especially in bathrooms with insufficient ventilation.

Radiant Heater Tip: By placing radiant heaters or a radiant heat towel rack in the bathroom you can combat the spread of germs for only pennies a day.

It’s interesting, but not a lot of people realize that home heating systems that run underneath the floors are not exactly new inventions, but the truth is that this form of heating was first used by the Romans. Naturally, there have been some major improvements since the Romans first came up with the idea.

While there isn’t a single heating system out there that is an ideal fit for every project, there is an ideal system for every project.

Hydronic under floor heating systems are some of the most popular forms of radiant heat. In the most recent hydronic heating systems, PEX radiant tubing has been installed in a concrete mass called Gypsum Concrete or “Gypcrete.” This method works very well in most applications, but there have been developments in the installation process of hydronic under floor heating that make it easier to install for certain situations. This new development is known as a low-mass or modular board underlayment system. Rather than embedding the hot water tubing in concrete, the PEX tubing is laid in the grooves of pre-cut wood panels. This new method is ideal for remodeling and most new construction projects.

Heating Systems Tip: Warmzone.com can provide you with the heating systems you desire, as well as consult with you on which systems would be the best fit for your project.

Wondering what radiant heat feels like? Well, if you have ever strolled barefoot along the beach on a sunny day and felt the warm sand underneath your feet, or held a warm mug, then you have felt radiant heat. Objects absorb radiant heat until they are the same temperature as the heat source, after which the heat slowly escapes to other areas that are colder, such as the air. The same principle is available to heat your home, using electric radiant heat.

Electric radiant heat is a unique transfer of energy that naturally searches out colder objects to warm. Instead of rising like warm air, radiant heat starts by warming the coldest and closest objects from its source. This is why radiant heating systems are generally placed under floors.

Heating a bathroom can be responsible for a significant amount of your utility bills year-round. Bathroom heating is one such energy consideration because you want the heat quickly, but for only a short period of time. Therefore traditional forced air heating systems for a bathroom can be very inefficient, and waste a lot of energy. However, electric radiant heat can make you feel comfortably warm without having to heat all the air in the bathroom.

Electric Radiant Heat Tip: Not just a cost-efficient heating system for bathrooms and kitchens, electric radiant heat can also increase the comfort level of these rooms because they concentrate the heat in the areas that are generally the coolest, such as tile floors.

What a find! For homebuilders or renovators alike, there are a multitude of uses for radiant floor heating in homes. Bathrooms, kitchens and entryways are ideals places to incorporate radiant heat. Tile, marble, slate, and even hardwood are floor coverings that are cold to step onto with bare feet during winter or summer. A radiant heat product can be installed under these surfaces throughout the home and take the cold bite out of these areas. Just think: you’ll never have cold floors or feet again!

But wait, there’s more! Another area of the home that radiant floor heating makes sense in is your basement. Basements are one of the top requested areas to add radiant heat. Due to the fact that forced air systems heat air and hot air rises the basement is usually the living space that remains cold. New construction is the best time to add radiant heat to a basement.

Radiant Floor Heating Tip: Whether you’re building a new home, or remodeling your existing home, radiant floor heating is a great way to add comfort and efficiency to the rooms in your home that are traditionally hard to heat.