The standard way to provide warmth to buildings in the U.S. is through forced-air heating. This simply means a heating system that warms up air and then distributes it using a fan and ductwork. The most common type of forced air heater is the furnace. Heat pumps are also a variation of forced air systems. The main alternative to forced-air heating is radiant heating, which spreads warmth through areas without the need for fans or ducts. There are a number of different ways to enjoy radiant heating, but hydronic systems that use heated water are the most popular.
Red Rock Mechanical, LLC offers radiant heating services, including installing and servicing luxurious in-floor heating. The option to go with a radiant heater is becoming more popular with each year, and we’d love to show you what we can do for your home with one. We offer complete heating service to Burlington, VT and throughout Northwest Vermont and Northeast New York.
Thanks for all the work you have done, hope all is well. I really like the warm floor feel! Radiant is great! The Baxi is operating flawlessly!
- Shawn M
What Exactly Is a Radiant Heater?
A radiant heater does not heat air directly and circulate that air throughout the house. Instead, it will apply heat to surfaces in the home, allowing that heat to radiate out to objects and people in the living space. You feel radiant heat almost every day: it’s the warmth you feel from the sun, or the heat that comes from hot pavement.
In a home, radiant heating usually is done through a boiler system. The boiler heats water and sends it throughout the house via hydronic tubing, typically in the floor. The hot water raises the temperatures of the floor, and that heat spreads evenly into the space.
The Benefits of Radiant Heating
Why might you want to choose radiant heating for a house, as opposed to going with a standard forced–air system? Here are some of the benefits to consider:
- Energy efficiency: Water is a more effective medium for the transference of heat than air, so a radiant heating system must expend less energy to provide the warmth a room needs.
- Even heating: A flaw in forced–air heaters is that they tend to blow out hot air that simply rises to the ceiling and gathers there. It can take a long time for the air to move throughout the room, and it will leave cold spots. Radiant heating is far more even, and allows for greater heat retention. This is especially true of in–floor heating, which heats from right beneath people’s feet.
- Quiet operation: Radiant heating systems are among the quietest home comfort systems available.
Clean: Forced–air heaters blow around dust and other air contaminants, something that radiant heaters don’t do. This makes Radiant heater a good choice for homes with people who have allergies or asthma.
Radiant Heating Repairs and Maintenance in Burlington, VT
No matter if we install your radiant heating system or you already have one, you can depend on our heating professionals at Red Rock Mechanical, LLC for any repair service you might require. We can also arrange for the regular maintenance visits necessary to see that your heater continues to work at its best. We specialize in energy efficient comfort systems.
We recommend that anyone who is thinking of building a new home or extensively remodeling their current one look into in–floor radiant heating. This is one of the most effective and cozy of all the heating systems now available for residential buildings. Call us in Burlington, VT today to learn more about in–floor heating and other types of radiant heaters.
