Radiant Heating Systems: Popular Types!

Electric radiant floor heating

In the end of November and in the next few months, many people will largely depend on heating appliances to keep their body comfortable, either at workplace or at home. Therefore, it is so important to prepare your heating unit in order to make sure it keeps work properly and powerfully, especially if your unit is too old. Well, there are a lot of types of heaters, from one that use conventional heating technology to others that use more modern and eco-friendly heating technology. In this article, it is too wide-ranging to discuss all types of heaters. Let’s focus to one type of them that is radiant heating systems. As well as like the name implies, this type based on radiant heating principle to heat the air.

Since ancient Roman Empire, radiant heating systems were already starting to be used! And before the World War I, they became popular in UK. Today, they can be classified into several different types! Below are more of pieces of information about those types:

1. Electric radiant heaters: They have some similar basic elements as well as like hydronic radiant heaters. The difference is located to the element that has function to distribute the heat. I mean they use electric wires, not pipes (in the hydronic models). And as well as the name implies, they use electric energy as source power and therefore, there is no pollutant (Carbon Monoxide). This is the key why there are a lot of homeowners who believe this heater is safer than others. But along with the high price of electric energy, this type is decreasingly popular at this time.

2. Convection-radiant models: Like written before, by historians of Roman, the application of radiant heating method is already recorded. In this era, hypocaust was so familiar. It was the early baths, which through ceiling, walls, or flooring; the warm air was circulated. The heat energy was produced from traditional fire that was maintained by slaves. Then the heat was radiated to all sides. And in 1940-s, this concept began popular again. As well as like the name implies, it applies two main heat-transfer principle, thermal radiation & convection.

3. Hydronic radiant heating system! Like mentioned in the first point, it require pipes to distribute the heat. The pipes also have important function for the circulation of heated liquid. In line with technological progress, most of hydronic systems are now equipped with pipes that are designed with hybrid rubber. This concept was adapted at the first time by a lot of designers of different countries, such as (1959 – 1867) Frank Lloyd Wright (American-architect) and (1870 – 1954) Arthur Barker (British-scientist).

4. Eco-friendly solar radiant heating system! Like the name implies, this system uses solar panels to explore the sunlight as source energy. We can find several types of those panels, some of them are designed of absorbing ceramic tile or glass. In addition, today, the concept of radiant heaters that use solar panels is also adapted by other heating appliances, like ceramic heaters.

5. Last, radiant baseboard heaters! They were increasingly popular in the 1960s! The heating concept of them is based on a heating element that is hidden under a metal cover (along walls near the floor), at least two sides of the room. Baseboards usually become familiar selection for the installation as well as like the name implies! Unfortunately, there is high risk of fire accident by using this heater. Any items or stuffs, such as furniture & draperies, that are located near of baseboards can be so dangerous which can lead to fire accident. Therefore, today not of all cities or municipalities allow to use radiant baseboard heating appliances because of the fire hazard!

Sorry for bad grammar, I am Japanese but I try my best ‘_’!

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