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Hydronic or radiant heating systems are somewhat common in older Sacramento, CA, homes. Hydronic heating is also increasingly popular for new homes or when performing major renovations. In this article, we’ll discuss all you should know about hydronic heating, including how it works and what benefits this type of heating system can provide for your home.
How Hydronic Heating Systems Work
Most Sacramento homes have ducted forced-air central heating systems that work using either a furnace or a heat pump. This type of system heats by drawing cooler air in through the return duct system. It then heats the air and then circulates the hot air around the house through the supply duct system. Hydronic heating systems also heat the air inside a house, just not in the same way.
A hydronic heating system uses a boiler to heat water, and the hot water is then used to heat each room. Older systems typically have one or more floor-mounted radiators in each room, but most newer systems have underfloor heating coils that the hot water circulates through. The reason that underfloor hydronic heating is superior is that it distributes heat across the entire room. Radiators also eventually heat the entire space, but it takes longer. The heat emanating from the radiator spreads into the rest of the room more slowly.
The reason that a hydronic heating system only heats the air in a home is that the hot water circulating through the system first heats the surfaces in a room, such as the floor, walls and furniture. The heat stored on these surfaces then continually radiates up and out to raise the air temperature throughout the entire space. An easy way to understand how radiant heating works is to think about how the heat emanating from an oven raises the temperature throughout the kitchen. Now that you have a basic understanding of how hydronic heating systems work, we’ll explore the various benefits this type of heating provides compared to forced-air heating.
Energy Efficiency
Hydronic heating systems are typically more energy efficient than other heating systems. This is especially true when comparing hydronic heating to a forced-air heating system that has a gas or electric furnace. Air doesn’t retain heat all that well. As a result, the temperature in a house decreases quickly after a forced-air heating system shuts off. Another issue with just heating the air is that the hot air coming out of the vents quickly rises to the ceiling. That also results in the air that is lower down in a room not being as warm once the forced-air system shuts off. These two issues combined mean that a forced-air heating system needs to run fairly frequently to keep the temperature in the house where you want it to be.
The boiler in a hydronic heating system may also need to run a few times per hour on occasion. The heat will continue radiating out of the surfaces in every room so that it cools down much more slowly. The heat will also continue emanating out into the room from the radiators or underfloor coils even when the boiler is running. That means you generally don’t need your boiler to produce as many BTUs of heat compared to what you’d need with a furnace or heat pump.
Another reason that hydronic heating systems typically use less energy is that you end up feeling warmer and don’t need to set the temperature as high. That’s again because the heat radiating off the surfaces will help to warm you up much more than if the air were warm, but all the surfaces were colder.
More Even Temperatures
Another drawback to forced-air heating is that you usually have significant temperature fluctuations. Not only will the floor and the lower parts of the room be colder than the higher parts, but you may have issues with the parts of the room that are further away from the vents not being as warm. Similarly, you end up with the temperature fluctuating depending on whether the heating system is currently running or not.
With hydronic heating, you don’t have the same issue with the hot air quickly rising since heat continually radiates off the floor, walls and furniture. That means you end up with a consistent temperature from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. With underfloor radiant heating, you also ensure that every square foot of the room is at an even temperature.
Zoned Heating Control
With forced-air heating, you often have difficulties keeping every room and every floor at the same temperature. What typically happens is that the top floor will be the hottest due to the hot air rising to it from the lower floors. If you have a basement, it will tend to stay cooler as well. A similar issue is that, sometimes, the parts of the home at the furthest end of each duct branch won’t receive as much heat and stay slightly cooler.
None of these things are an issue you’ll typically experience with hydronic heating since it is usually a zoned system. You have different thermostats that control the temperature in different parts of the home. This is different from controlling everything using a central thermostat. If you have a zone that is already at the right temperature when the boiler turns on, a valve will close so that no hot water flows to that zone. This prevents it from getting too hot. You can also control the temperature independently in each zone. This means you can set some rooms to hotter or cooler temperatures. This is another reason that hydronic heating usually uses less energy. The boiler won’t need to run as long whenever hot water isn’t flowing to every zone.
Saves Space
One last thing to consider when building a new home or completely renovating your house is that a hydronic heating system will take up much less space than a forced-air system. With forced-air heating, you need to factor in the extra space required for all the air ducts. This is in addition to the space required for the air handler and potentially the furnace. With underfloor radiant heating, the only thing that really takes up any space is the boiler. If you want air conditioning in your home, you can also install a ductless mini-split AC system that will take up much less space than a central AC system.
If you choose to install a combination or combi-boiler, it will take up even less space. This type of boiler doesn’t need a hot water storage tank. A combi-boiler also supplies hot water for your plumbing, eliminating the need for a separate water heater.
Atticman Heating and Air Conditioning, Insulation is a locally owned and operated company offering expert heating and air conditioning services throughout the Sacramento area. If you’re building a new home or need to replace your heating system, you can count on our experienced technicians to help you choose the best system for your house. Our team can also take care of your HVAC maintenance and repair needs to ensure your home stays fully comfortable all year. We also install insulation, install and maintain water heaters and provide electrical help, among many other services. Contact us today to set up a consultation or service call or if you have any questions.
