Radiant Energy

Radiant energy is the energy produced by electromagnetic waves. It can come from a body or reflected from another body. It may or may not be seen by the human eye. Technically, electromagnetic radiation is made up of three parts wavelength, frequency and intensity which is responsible for determining the amount of energy carried by the radiation.

The term radiant energy is more frequently used in the areas of solar energy, heating and lighting and less frequently in other fields such as telecommunications. In home heating systems, the radiant type of heating is now growing in use. When used for heating purposes, radiant energy can be produced through the use of electricity such as by infrared lamps. It can also be taken from the sun and is capable of making hot water.

You may have noticed during fair weather how the sun can warm up your home. In your living room, for instance, the sunshine comes in when you open your curtains or draperies and the warmth provided by the suns energy remains for many hours. Thats how radiant energy works, through radiation from the sun.

In homes and buildings, the radiant heating system involves a warm element such as a concrete floor, wall or overhead panel that have the ability to absorb heat and keep people warm especially during cold weather. In fact, the use of radiant heat for the floor dates back to the Roman period. During that time, fires were built below the floors of villas to keep the people inside warm and comfortable. Today, the use of radiant heating is very popular in England and other parts of the European continent.

Radiant heating systems are ideal for large homes notably those with high ceiling, spacious rooms and large windows. What happens is that the floor, walls or overhead panels are kept warm to provide heat to the occupants of a home. In the under floor system, for example, heat is generated starting from the bottom and then moves upwards heating the objects and people in the lower part of the room via infrared energy.

Radiant energy was discovered in 1889 by a man named Nikola Tesla. His discovery of this form of energy came after several experiments. Teslas experiments involved DC electrical discharges and it was only after three years that he announced his breakthrough. He then came up with a paper entitled The Dissipation of Electricity which was published in December 1892. By 1899, Tesla got into large scale experimental trials to apply his discovery of the radiant energy.