The concept of “radiant floor heating” or under-floor heating has been used for centuries. It can be traced back to the Romans who used a hypocaust, which was a system that heated homes with hot air under the floors. Under-floor radiant heating also has a long history throughout Asia.
Radiant heating isn’t new, but its popularity is on the rise and becoming a major selling feature in new and old homes, putting conventional forced-air systems on a fast track of being a thing of the past.
Now that you’ve chosen to have radiant heating, let’s talk about floor coverings. It’s important to have this conversation during the design phase to achieve the best results possible from your radiant heating system. For example, electric cable radiant heating installed directly under tile will have different considerations versus a hydronic radiant heating system installed in gypcrete under hardwood flooring. There will be different methods and components used in each of these projects.