One of the best alternatives to a traditional furnace-based heating system is radiant heating. Radiant heating is a system that works by utilizing either electric pads or water pipes located underneath your floors. Some of the benefits to utilizing radiant heating include energy efficiency and improved health.

Energy Efficiency

A radiant heating system is one of the most energy efficient heating systems due to the fact that you can install them in a way that allows you to only heat certain parts of your home at a given time. This is because you can set up heating zones when you install a radiant system.

For example, you could have a heating zone that activates during the day to warm up the living room and kitchen, while a second heating zone only activates at night and heats only the bedrooms. This will allow you to avoid wasting energy because you will be heating the rooms that are most likely to be occupied at that time of day, while ignoring the rest.

Another reason that a radiant heating system is so energy efficient is that duct loss will not occur since your system does not interact with any ducts. A forced-air system tends to lose some hot air through gaps and cracks in the ducts as the hot air travels to your vents. This is a problem as it can raise your utility bills and waste energy because your heating system will need to be on longer to compensate for the lost heat.

Improved Health

A radiant heating system is a great way to improve the living conditions in your home because it helps cut down on the indoor air pollution. A forced-air heater will often contribute to indoor air pollution by blowing dust and allergens all over the house. The dust and allergens are usually found within your duct system or are added to the environment when a furnace has a dirty or faulty air filter. 

However, a radiant heating system will not add any dust or allergens to your home because it does not have access to your duct system, which means that it cannot spread those particles around the house. This will improve your health as the risk of respiratory issues, illnesses, and allergic reactions will go down quite a bit. In addition, the lack of particles and dust in the air will make your home smell a bit more pleasant.

Speak to a heating contractor from a company like Super Cool Heating & Air to learn more about radiant heat systems and whether one would be a good fit for your home.