The 5 Myths of Radiant Heat

Myth 1

Radiant Heat is New and Unproven.

The Truth

Radiant heating is an ancient technology dating back to 3,000 BC in China and Korea.  The Romans used radiant technology by directing heat from carefully controlled fires into air chambers under floors and behind walls.  Newton Enterprises has been installing hydronic in-floor heat systems for more than 30 years.
 

Myth 2

Radiant heating is inefficient because heat rises

The Truth

Heat doesn’t rise, it moves from hot to cold.  Hot air rises. When hot air from the furnace flows into a room, it temporarily increases the temperature. As the warm air rises, cool air is left in its place. Radiant systems transmit thermal radiation (heat). This does warm the air in a room, but first it warms cooler objects - the floor, the furniture, and the people, producing even, consistent heat.
 

Myth 3

Radiant heating takes forever to warm up

The Truth

Actually, the opposite can be true.  Consider a heated shop with large overhead doors.  Radiant systems heat the slab and any equipment and fixtures in a building.  When the door is opened, there is a loss of heated air but the heat in the slab and other entities remains resulting in faster heat recovery.  And because heat is radiating from the floor, you get warmed up before the air mass above you!
 

Myth 4 

Radiant heating can’t be precisely controlled

The Truth

Radiant systems are configured in zones allowing for an unparalleled amount of control. In forced-air systems, a single thermostat controls the temperature in the entire building.  This results in temperature variations throughout.  Zoning allows you to set the temperature in each space so you have heat where you want it and aren’t paying to heat areas that don’t need it.
 

Myth 5 

Energy efficiency is the only reason to choose radiant heat

The Truth

While radiant systems can result in savings of 20% or more on heating costs, they offer many more great features as well: Even, comfortable heat; no cold spots; warm floors – great in a shop where snow melts and dries quickly; fast recovery, no blowing around of allergens, no filter systems or ducting to maintain, and the flexibility of using gas, propane, electricity, even outdoor wood-burning boilers.

Radiant heat systems are quiet and deliver even, comfortable heat with unparalleled control.  They reduce the movement of allergens, improve energy efficiency and reduce heating costs.  We’d love to show you how affordable it is to install a hydronic heating system in your new home or shop!  

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