Brrrr! It’s another cold Minnesota January, the perfect time to put the focus on warming up. Warming up our feet that is!
While sub-floor heating (also known as in-floor heat or radiant heat) has been around since Ancient times (read up on your history here), it has been gaining momentum over the past couple of decades. And with good reason — the method is efficient, quiet, unobtrusive, and — a big bonus for allergy sufferers — no dust-bunnies are blown across the room.
Though popular in bathrooms or in basements, especially where tile floor is present, some homeowners choose to install in-floor heat throughout their entire home.
Floors can be heated one of two ways — via an electric system or a hydronic one with hot water pipes.
- Electric systems work with a series of electric cables that run energy under your flooring. These are typically installed at the time of build and secured permanently. But radiant heating pads (like these from Thermostat) have made it easier to add in-floor heat during a remodel as well. Newer products (like these from SunTouch) even allow you to install heating pads without removing your current floor, in cases when you can gain access to the area below from a basement or crawl space.
- Hydronic systems tend to be used more often when homeowners are installing a whole-house radiant flooring system and want a resource to heat more than just the floors. With new flexible, rubber-like tubes replacing the previous copper ones, this system has become more practical. A boiler or hot water heater sends heated water circulating through the piping, sending warmth upward into the floors and the entire home.
Electric radiant heating is typically more economical than hydronic and with technology improving by the day, amazing options continue to surface.
In-floor heating systems have been shown to save homeowners 10-30% on their monthly heating bill (in comparison to conventional heating).
Installing an in-floor heating system is well worth the consideration if you plan on building a home or have home improvements underway!
If in-floor heating interests you, connect with us here at Andrus Built to consider all of your options! Located in North St Paul, we focus on kitchen, bath, and whole home remodels (interior and exterior) within St Paul and the East Twin Cities area. Start your new year off warmer — get in touch with us today!
