Hot water heating or as it’s known in the industry as “hydronic heating” is one of the most common and efficient forms of heating in North America. Important factors that dictate efficiency are the correct sizing of the boiler vs. the heat load of the home, the means in which the heat is transmitted, and the home’s overall heat loss (insulation and windows). Here, we are focusing on the means of transmission.
The most efficient form of transmission, bar none, is radiant heating. This is because it has a low draw of energy from the boiler, as well as being evenly distributed under the finished flooring. This prevents “cold spots” in rooms as it rises from the lowest point, and allows for low overall heating costs. The issues that come along with radiant are always due to poor installation practices, any system will require maintenance at some point, but chronic issues always stem from flaws in design and application. This form of heating only makes sense during a renovation, the high cost of removing flooring to install radiant tubing is what makes this so. There are alternatives such as “staple up” in which the radiant tubing is installed from underneath the flooring, generally from an unfinished basement ceiling. This form would be strictly for comfort, as heating the layers of flooring before heating the space makes any savings negligible.
The most common form of hydronic heating is baseboard. The low profile metal housing that runs around the perimeter of the room hides copper pipe with metal fins. This is a simple and effective system for most average sized rooms. It delivers even heat efficiently, though as in any system, it has design limitations. Baseboard is designed to give off heat very quickly, so often on systems that have long runs, the rooms toward the end of the circuit can be significantly colder than rooms that are served first. Baseboard also has its benefits, when coupled with an outdoor reset control, it can deliver effective heating with a delivery temperature as low as 140 degrees. These controls adjust the water temperature at the boiler based on the outdoor temperature, saving you money! Why would you want your boiler going full blast on a 60 degree spring day?
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"l have been lucky to have found Overall Plumbing & Heating when my old heating system broke down. The plumbers from this company demonstrated professionalism and delivered top results that put our home heating system back in action."