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