Radiant Heat - Red Hot Retrofit

Red hot as in sales, that is. The reasons behindThe quick response time radiant panels will return
the increasing popularity of radiant heat panels arean unoccupied room to a comfortable
ease of installation, quick warm up, dust freetemperature in minutes.
heat, and low cost relative to other alternateRadiant Heat Panel Applications Radiant heat
heating systems.panels are an excellent source of heat for
For the same price as a pellet stove, you couldbathrooms (no more foggy mirrors), log homes,
heat a 1,500 square foot home and not have togazebos, screened in porches and stables. If
deal with locating, storing, and lugging 40 poundyou're heating a greenhouse, radiant heat will
bags of wood pellets.protect your plants in the absence of sunlight by
A U.S. Department of Energy sponsored studymaintaining root temperatures.
concluded that radiant heat panels were 52% lessReplacing a wood stove with ceiling mounted
expensive to operate than electric baseboardpanels in auxiliary buildings such as workshops or
heat and 33% more cost effective air to air heatstudios allows the use of all available floor space.
pumps. The study concluded that "energy savingsRadiant Heat Panel Installation and Cost The low
would be obtainable in a great portion of U.S.amperage requirements for ceiling heat panels can
households".usually be provided by existing 120 or 240 volt
Radiant heat panels manufactured by Enerjoy arecircuits. The 30%-70% wattage reduction over
about 1 inch thick, and range in size from 2'x2' toelectric baseboard heating eliminates the need for
2'x8'. They are textured to look like the ceiling anddedicated wiring. Wherever a single panel is
can painted to match the room's décor withinstalled, the existing 120 volt capacity circuit is
quality water based acrylic paint.usually adequate for the additional load.
The panels operate at 150-170 degrees F. andInstallation of radiant heat panels typically cost
radiate heat to objects and people in the room.between $1.25 and $1.50 per square foot of
The panel itself reaches operating temperature inheated space. For a 1,500 sq. ft. house the
only three to five minutes.estimated cost would be $1,900 to $2,300. That's
Advantages of Radiant Heat Panels Heat lossconsiderably less than the cost for a complete
from ducts, even insulated ones, reduces theforced air system.
efficiency of forced air systems. AdditionalDisadvantages of Radiant Heat Panels The major
leakage is created by the internal air pressurelimitation of radiant heat panels is the absence of
generated by forced air systems. No duct, Noa cooling function. Installing a ducted central air
pressure, no leakage problems.conditioner would undermine many of the
Since the need for a blower to circulate heat isadvantages of using radiant panels.
eliminated, so is the cost of electricity to theOne way around this would be to install a mini-split
blower motor. Without a blower, there are noair conditioning system. The mini-split, like radiant
filters that need to be replaced.panels, is also a cost effective retrofit solution and
Heating without moving air also eliminates draftscan be zoned to cool only occupied rooms.
and prevents dust and pollen from circulating whileIf controlling heating costs is your primary
maintaining the air's moisture content.concern, radiant heat panels offer an easy, cost
Radiant heat panels require no maintenance oreffective and healthy way to retrofit your home
service because there are no moving parts.with comfortable, reliable heat.
With separate thermostats for each room, zonedoffers a unique look at geothermal heating and
heating is easy as turning a light switch on and off.cooling, hydro and wind power, radiant heating,
Significant energy savings can be realized bysolar heating systems and pellet burning stoves.
allowing only the occupied areas to be heated.