Can radiant floor heating replace a furnace? It depends. In some homes, yes, in-floor radiant heating and cooling can take care of all of your heating needs for the winter. In others, no, you’ll need a furnace as a back-up or at least another furnace alternative. Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering replacing your furnace with radiant heat.
Can Your Home Use Just Radiant Heat?
There are a few factors that help determine if you can stop using your furnace and opt for radiant heat flooring instead. Consider these:
- Size of the home: Smaller homes are simpler for radiant floor systems to heat. Small bungalows, with low ceilings, are great candidates for this kind of heating. The larger your home, the more likely you’ll be to need a furnace to support floor heating.
- Age of the home: Newer homes have better insulation and more energy-efficient features. They may also have a better design that helps them to conserve heat. Older homes may be entirely unsuited to radiant heating.
- Insulation in the home: The better the insulation you have in your home, the more likely you can use radiant heat. The system relies on strong insulation to conserve the heat it produces.
Are you thinking about installing radiant floor heating in your home? Our HVAC professionals can advise you as to whether you can heat your home with just in-floor radiant heating. Give us a call today to get our expert opinion.
Zone Heating with Radiant Flooring
You can also use radiant floor heating to support your furnace. You’ll end up running your furnace much less, and therefore getting much longer life out of it. There are other benefits of using radiant floor heating in conjunction with a furnace as well, such as:
- Even heat: Radiant heating gets rid of cold spots and evens out the heating in your home. This can make it significantly more comfortable.
- Warm feet: Forced-air systems often leave the floor very cold, which can be uncomfortable, especially for the elderly or those with conditions that make them sensitive to the cold. Your feet will always be warm if you have an in-floor radiant heating system.
- Reduce allergies: Forced- air systems blow allergens, pet dander, dust and more around your home. You can reduce this when you use floor heating.
- Save on utilities: Floor heating is highly efficient and will give your furnace a break. You may spend less on utilities overall by combining these systems.
Other Furnace Alternatives and Supplements
If your goal is to stop using a furnace or to use your furnace much less, then you can also look into a few other options:
- Heat pumps
- Gas fireplaces
- Wood fireplaces
- Geothermal heating
You can warm your floors and your home with a radiant in-floor system. Learn more about radiant heating by contacting our team at Ken Philip ClimateCare today.
