Is Radiant Heating or Cooling Right for You?

Questions to ask before you go for one of these temperature systems in your floors or walls (yes, walls)

With a radiant heating or cooling system, the goal is to make the temperature of a room more comfortable by changing the temperature of an entire surface. Most of the time we think of radiant heating systems, we think of them for floors, sometimes called underfloor heating or in-slab heating. But the principle can be applied to any surface: a wall, ceiling or even a mirror.

The concept, like many other modern sustainable design strategies, is actually quite old. Archeological evidence shows that ancient Roman, Korean and Chinese dwellings had various forms of heated floors and walls, with either water or smoke acting as the vehicle for transporting heat or coolness from room to room through hidden pipes. In the realm of modern technology, these systems have been improved and perfected so that there’s now a range of options.