In a chilly winter, when the temperature drops about 20–35 degrees below average, you will have to start your day anyhow. It’s not just about a day. When you live in a cold climate, you will have to spend months in such low temperatures. Months like that will surely make you shiver and compel you to consider installing a heating system.
The heating system you choose to install in your home may have a greater impact on your comfort throughout the day. While there are different types of systems available on the market, the most popular and common choices are forced air and radiant floor heating systems. Comparing the factors of both of these heating systems can help you decide the better one for you. In this article, we will discuss both of these systems and describe the differences between them.
So let’s get started!
Radiant Heating vs. Forced Air: Working mechanism
Low voltage floor heating systems work by heating the floor surface. They use a network of pipes or heated mats woven from electric wires to heat your floor, wall, and entire room. Then the heat is transferred to you via radiation.
On the other hand, a forced air system is exactly what it sounds like. It is made up of units that heat the air and blow heated air (with force) into the room. Generally, it burns natural gas to produce flames, which further heat the air. In short, it pulls the cool air, heats it, and blows the heated air with force around your home via ductwork. Furnaces and heat pumps are well-known types of forced-air heating systems.
Factors that you must consider while choosing between a radiant floor heating system and a forced air system
Now that you know the working mechanism of the radiant floor heating system and forced air heating, let’s take a look at the factors that you must consider while deciding between the two for your home:
Factor #1: Upfront vs. operational costs
When you decide on installing a new heating system, there are two major costs that you need to consider: upfront and operational.
- Upfront cost: A radiant floor heating system is a little bit expensive to install when compared to the forced air. Here we will suggest not trying to save a little bit, which may cost you 10 times more in the long run.
- Operational cost: A low-voltage floor heating system is much more efficient when compared to the forced air. It saves more energy, thus helping you save more money on your electricity bill. Forced air systems waste energy by heating unused spaces, thus increasing your energy bill. Low-voltage floor heating systems offer zoning, which allows users to control the temperature in specific areas. It lets you set different temperatures in different areas of your home. You can save energy by not heating occupied spaces.
Factor #2: Indoor air quality
Forced air circulates heated air to keep your home warm. Allergens and pollutants present in the air also circulate, and this causes problems for people suffering from allergies and asthma. That is why homeowners prefer underfloor heating systems over forced air. Low-voltage floor heating systems do not circulate air and keep your room warm by heating the floor surface.
Factor #3: Level of heating comfort
Radiant floor heating systems provide more precise and consistent heating in the entire home when compared to forced air systems.
This again has to do with the working mechanisms of both systems. When air is blown out of vents in forced air, the areas around the vent are warmer than those that are far from the vent. Furthermore, hot air rises, so the temperature near your ceiling is higher than the floor surface, where you generally spend most of the time. So you can see that forced air wastes energy by heating unused spaces.
When it comes to low-voltage floor heating systems, you can unprecedentedly control the temperature of any specific area of your home. Every member of your family can set their preferred temperature in their room. Additionally, it heats the room evenly. Like forced air, you will not find a corner of your home warmer than the others with a radiant underfloor heating system.
When you compare low-voltage floor heating systems with forced air systems, the former always wins because of its amazing features. Radiant floor heating systems are efficient, quiet, and easy to use, and, most importantly, they don’t have any drawbacks.
