How Radiant Heating Works
Friday, November 26th, 2010When you’ve been successful in the heating industry for over 20 years as we have here at Heaters Wholesale, you build up a strong foundation of knowledge regarding how your products and services work. However, while this is definitely the case for all of our engineers, we remain committed to making sure that our customers understand radiant heating and our other services fully. This way, they can have confidence in an installation or repair. Many clients ask us how radiant heating systems work, so here follows a brief description behind this increasingly popular form of industrial, commercial and residential heating.
Radiant heating is often defined according to how it differs from forced or warm air heating. This type of system warms the air, which is then circulated within a building to warm the inhabitants. By contrast, radiant heating, which usually involves the circulation of heated water (Hydronic heat) works by a process called infrared radiation.
Using the same principle as the sun, this type of heat radiates from its source without the need for a circulation medium, thus warming floors, walls, people and objects directly. The beauty of this method, when installed properly by a team like ours here at Heaters Wholesale, is that when warm air leaves a room, the temperature is largely unaffected, as room objects retain their warmth.
Radiant heating involves the installation of panels, radiators or coils within the walls, all of which act as conductors which direct heat into the desired areas. They can be powered by regular gas or oil fired boilers or solar power, and are more efficient in terms of electricity consumption than warm air alternatives.
The basic layout of a radiant heating system comprises a heat source, a pump and various controls, and then the area to be heated. This relative simplicity, which doesn’t waste energy through heat lost via large lengths of ducting, is affordable, efficient and relied upon more and more by a variety of Heaters Wholesale clients.

