Lowering the Thermostat on Radiant Heating Yes or No?

Written By: bci_admin

January 15, 2020

Have you’ve been wondering if it makes any sense to turn down the thermostat at night when you have a radiant floor heating system? At Solid Plumbing and Heating, we’re here to help. When it comes to heating your home, there are a lot of factors, from both an energy-saving and a comfort standpoint. Winter is in full swing here in Bayfield. Throughout the southwest Colorado region, temps at night have been hitting single digits. This means that thermostats and heating bills have gone up. Which may be tempting you to try lowering your heat at night. 

How Radiant Heating Works

Before we talk about the thermostat, let’s take a minute to talk about how radiant heat works. In-floor heating, also known as radiant heating, uses thin cables or tubes installed over your subfloor, but under your flooring. The heat from the floor then warms everything it touches and radiates throughout the room from the ground up. Radiant heat works very much like the sun does. On a sunny day, if you step out from the shade into the sun, you’ll feel warmer even though the air temperature is nearly the same. This is how in-floor heating works, and it regulates the ambient air temperature more effectively than with a forced-air system. With forced-air heating, the air rises, cools and then falls to the floor.

Keep The Temp Steady

One of the biggest benefits of in-floor heating systems is their ability to uniformly heat a room. A traditional forced-air heating system uses vents to distribute warm. The location of the vents will have an effect on which parts of a room are warmer than others. In contrast, radiant heating systems heat the entire floor. That leads to a more evenly heated space with a consistent ambient temperature. Generally speaking, that means you’ll feel more comfortable because you won’t experience cold drafts.  However, a forced-air heating system tends to have a faster response time than radiant heating. In-floor heating systems can take anywhere from several hours to several days to reach full heating capacity. Because of the lag time, with the thermostat turned down at night you may not even feel a change in temperature until the following morning or beyond. That’s why at Solid Plumbing and Heating, we recommend that the thermostat for radiant heat should be kept at a consistent temperature.  For the question of lowering the Thermostat on Radiant Heating Yes or No? The answer is a solid no. 

The Good News

We know you were hoping to save some energy and some money on that heating bill. But here’s the good news, if you have in-floor heating, you’ve already saved yourself some cash. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, is more economical to operate than a standard furnace. Saying that on average it can slash heating costs by 25 to 50 percent. Radiant heat is the perfect solution to Durango’s winter chill. If you’ve been wanting to find out more about In-floor heating, contact Solid Plumbing and Heating LLC  today to schedule a consultation and quote. The process is quicker and less costly than you think, and we have the electrical expertise to ensure a safe and efficient radiant heating installation. 

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