Electric Radiant Floor Heating System vs. Hydronic Heating Systems

There are two popular options when it comes to radiant floors -- using water or electricity. Those that utilize electricity are called electric radiant floor heating systems. They are especially beneficial in smaller areas or spot warming.

In this article, I will highlight several reasons why you should consider this type of floor heating system over hydronic systems.

The main benefit to using electric radiant heating for your floors has to do with whether you will heat a portion of your home or the entire home. If you are looking for spot warming in an area, or heating whole portions of smaller areas, then in most cases an electric radiant floor heating system will perform more favorably, and be more cost effective.

On the other hand, a hydronic heating system is usually much better to use on complete homes in most areas. There is an exception however. If you live in a climate that requires minimal heating, then an electric system is usually more preferable. This is especially true in areas where you often only need to run the heat a little bit in the morning and a few hours at night to maintain comfort.

The main reason why electric systems are often more cost effective is because they do not require you to purchase a boiler. In those instances when you already have a boiler in the home, your cost can be on par with electric radiant floor costs.

Another small advantage that electric radiant floors have over hydronic floors is they do not elevate the flooring as much. In fact, the elevation of an electric system is usually not even noticeable, whereas a hydronic system on the floor can cause it to be elevated 2 or 3 inches.

Another reason why electric radiant floors are better is because they take less time to heat up. To heat up a hydronic system can sometimes take several hours depending on when the last time it was turned on. Because of this, you can sometimes save on energy usage with an electric system.

Electric radiant floor heating systems will save energy in other ways as well. They can be set to cycle on and off several times a day. At the same time, they only use electricity until the set temperature is reached. After the temperature is reached, it will only need to use electricity about 30% of the time to keep the temperature stable.