One of the most efficient and effective types of heat for Western Colorado is radiant heat. A radiant system provides a number of advantages and benefits in this climate, where heat is often used from late October through early May, and even longer depending on the altitude.
- Almost all of the system is hidden in the floors. No register ducts show from the walls or floor to interfere with any kind of interior decorating style.
- Radiant heat systems work silently.
- Since there’s no air blowing through ducts, the amount of dust in the air is limited to what naturally occurs in a home. These systems do not require any filter changes, and people with allergies, asthma or respiratory problems benefit from the still air indoors.
- The heat is constant. Radiant heat is one of the most comfortable because it heats everything inside the home. Tile or stone floors can be exceptionally cold in the winter, but with these heating systems, they warm comfortably, something that parents of young children appreciate for the comfort of their family.
- Unlike a furnace, the heat emanating from a radiant system is not as hot, which lowers energy bills.
- Zoning the system helps control the temperatures precisely in rooms that receive less sunshine and are cooler.
The first kind of radiant systems is a wet installation where the tubes or cables run through a concrete slab, whether it’s in a ranch-style home or poured over an existing subfloor. A dry system involves placing the tubing in an air space beneath a floor and placing a radiant barrier beneath the tubes so the heat reflects upward. Since air does not carry heat as well as solid material, these systems need to operate at higher temperatures.
Flooring choices include masonry products such as tile or stone, whose heat retention capacity is high, laminated wood, carpeting using a thinner pad, or vinyl floors applied with a heat tolerant glue. If you would like to learn more about radiant heat, contact Climate Control Company. We provide heating and cooling services for homeowners in Eagle, Pitkin and Garfield counties.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about radiant heating and other HVAC topics, please visit our website.
Climate Control Company services Aspen, Vail and the surrounding Western slope communities in Colorado.
