RADIANT HEAT WITH CONCRETE

One of the new stars on the heating market is radiant floor heating. Although North Americans are just starting to realize its benefits, radiant floor heating has been used successfully in Europe for over 50 years. The concept is simple: warm water circulates through tubing that is buried in the floor, keeping the heat where it is needed most. Building occupants are then comfortable at a lower thermostat setting, leading to a reduction in fuel costs of up to 40%. Comfort and efficiency are two reasons North Americans are turning to radiant heat. More conventional forms of heating address the heat loss of the structure, while radiant floor systems address the heat loss of the human body. Radiant floors take advantage of concrete's thermal mass: they absorb and store heat, then conduct it directly to the feet and to objects in the room that in turn re-radiate heat. Radiant heat warms objects, not just the air. Air quality is improved since there is no hot air blowing dust and allergens throughout the building. Also, less air escapes each time windows or doors are opened. The key to designing a radiant floor system for a concrete slab is accurate heat loss calculations. The concrete slab acts as a giant radiator to heat the building, so it is important to reduce heat losses by using insulation. Most radiant floor heating manufacturers have computer programs that calculate the heat loss of particular concrete slabs.

• Corporate Authors:

  Portland Cement Association

  5420 Old Orchard Road
  Skokie, IL  United States  60077
• Authors:
  • Mattsson, I
  • Fries, G
• Publication Date: 1997-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 1-3
• Serial:
  • Concrete Technology Today
  • Volume: 18
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Portland Cement Association

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete; Concrete construction; Deicing; Electric insulating materials; Heat loss; Insulating materials; Performance evaluations; Pipe; Slabs; Snow and ice control; Time duration; Tubing
• Uncontrolled Terms: Long term; Tube (Pipe)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Materials; I32: Concrete;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00748004
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: PL971.01B
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 2 1998 12:00AM