![]() But of course, in any HVAC system, there are upfront costs and operating costs, and the latter are perhaps the more important. If you’d need to buy a new boiler, that would add to the final project cost. To supply the water that lends heat to a radiant system, you need a boiler. Plus, for allergy sufferers and others concerned about indoor air quality, radiant heat can be like a breath of fresh air, as the ductless system does nothing to diminish indoor air quality. With panels slotted out of view beneath the floor, hydronic radiant systems are invisible, and in the absence of blowers and rushing air, they operate not quietly, but silently. Over the years, having become so accustomed to forced air, many homeowners may assume that home heating has to be ugly, noisy, and dusty, but it doesn’t. Though intended to channel warm air through your home, ductwork also often ends up collecting and distributing dust and other impurities. The first thing you notice might be the unsightly metal grille of an air vent, or it might be the sound of conditioned air roaring through the ductwork. Walk into any home heated by forced air, and the system soon announces itself to you, one way or another. In fact, manufacturers like Warmboard offer ultra-thin radiant panels specially designed to fit seamlessly into existing homes. Custom home building may present the out-and-out ideal opportunity to install radiant heat, but you can also capitalize on the technology during a renovation. But of course there are plenty of occasions when homeowners enjoy a blank slate. If you love the flooring in your home and had no intention of removing it, even if only temporarily, then the installation requirements of a radiant system may give you pause (though a wall or ceiling installation may be a good alternative). With radiant, the complicating factor is that panels must be set beneath the floor. With forced air, ducts are the foremost impediment to installation. That being the case, most do not lend themselves painlessly to retrofit applications. Heating and cooling components are often integral to the basic infrastructure of the home in which they are installed. Radiant heat, meanwhile, concentrates comfort not above your head, but at floor level where you actually feel it. The result? Dramatic, uncomfortable temperature swings, only enhanced by the fact that hot air quickly rises to the ceiling after arriving. Minutes later, once the temperature has dipped below a threshold point, the system snaps on again, and the cycle repeats. Designed to operate in a stop-and-start pattern, conventional HVAC dumps hot air into the home, then stops. That way, no matter where you travel in the home, you always get the temperature you want. ![]() Installed beneath the floor, radiant heat panels deliver warmth across virtually every square inch of the home. Homeowners are eschewing traditional forced air in favor of radiant heat, largely because there’s simply no question as to which provides a higher level of comfort. ![]()
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