Electric Furnace vs Radiant Floor Heating

Welcome to another first round match-up in what has already been a thrilling Home Heating Tournament! For those keeping score at home-- and perhaps wishing you had one of these heat systems installed already-- we have seen the Gas Furnace defeat Space Heaters, and the Wood/Coal Furnace win an upset over the Oil Furnace. Today's game pits the powerful and popular #2 seed, Electric Furnace, against the upset-minded #7 seed, Radiant Floor Heating.

Electric Furnace Radiant Heating

Electric Furnace

If the Electric Furnace seems pretty confident about its skills, it's because this type of heating unit has long been the king of efficiency. To be more specific: 100% efficiency! Electric furnaces transfer electrical energy directly into heat, and use fans to send this heated air through ducts to the rooms of your home. Unlike other types of furnaces, there are no combustible fuels being used, no flames being lit, and no exhaust or pollutants being created. That means less risk for safety hazards, as well. Electric Furnaces can fit snuggly in any area of the house, require very little upkeep, and can last for several decades with periodic checkups from your heating contractor. If it at all sounds too good to be true, the Electric Furnace does still have its Achilles heel: cost. Electric Furnace monthly costs will usually be considerably higher than propane or natural gas furnace bills, as well as most other types of heating systems.

Radiant Floor Heating

Radiant Heating is a special type of heating, usually installed under a room's flooring, that comes in both an electric and hydronic form. As the name indicates, Hyrdronic Radiant Heat uses a hot water heater, pumps, tubing, and special paneling to safely and effectively keep floors warm during the cold season. This low lying warmth rises and "radiates" and can help make large sections of a house far more pleasant. Unfortunately, hydronic heating systems can be very complicated to install, and your home contractor may need to adjust your floor's height to create space. Electric Radiant Floor Heating is much simpler, but is usually only a reasonable option for kitchen heating or bathroom heating, rather than as a home's central heating source. In smaller areas, Radiant Heating can be a cost-saver and a great complementary heat system. Fitting an entire home with all-radiant-flooring, however, would likely generate far greater costs, and hassle, than going with the much simpler install of a modern Electric Furnace.

And the winner is. . .
Electric Furnace! Recent advances in Radiant Heating technology make it a great system to discuss with your heating or flooring contractor, as they can offer great benefits. But the reliability and overall efficiency of the Electric Furnace give it the edge.