However, some businesses (often restaurants or entertainment venues) and upscale homes use radiant heat to warm patios and other outdoor spaces. Radiant heating systems are most effective as indoor heat sources, either in a localized area (such as a bathroom) or an entire dwelling.

When installed only in flooring, systems may simply be referred to as “underfloor” or “floor” heating systems. Sign Up Nowīy contrast, radiant heating systems deliver heat through a building’s floors or walls, warming adjacent air only indirectly. For $79 (or just $1.52 per week), join more than 1 million members and don't miss their upcoming stock picks. Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendations have an average return of 397%. Cooking ovens work on this basic principle as well. Most modern heat distribution systems, such as radiators and forced-air ducts, are convective – by circulating heated air through a finite space, they warm the entire volume to a desired temperature. Homeowners and landlords looking to improve efficiency and lower costs often turn to radiant heat, an ancient indoor heating method that’s gaining favor with cost- and eco-conscious property owners. If you’re willing and able to shoulder a significant upfront cost, one of the best ways to reduce your heating expenses (and carbon footprint) is to replace an older, inefficient system with a newer, greener one. However, there are many ways to reduce your heating bills, such as installing a programmable thermostat or bulking up your home’s insulation. When the weather is cool, heat is a nonnegotiable expense, no matter what type of system you have.

Depending on the type of dwelling, geographical location, and the property owner’s budget, heating systems take different forms: forced-air ducts connected to heat pumps or central furnaces, steam radiators connected to boiler units, electric baseboards, and electric space heaters that plug directly into wall sockets, to name several. Outside of tropical climates, every dwelling requires a reliable source of artificial heat.

Radiant floor heating cost to run