Winter is right around the corner and we know what that means for residents of Park City: cold weather. While the action and energy around the city might increase around the winter months, it’s no secret that the temperature starts to decrease drastically.

With so many options for home heating available to owners of Park City real estate, it may be difficult to pinpoint an effective strategy that works for you. With people all around the city using furnaces, heat pumps, fireplaces, and space heaters to keep room, they sometimes overlook one of the most effective ways to keep a home warm: heated floors.

In this article, we will break down the various advantages of heated floors, expressing exactly why you should consider this investment for your Park City property.

What Exactly Are Radiant Floor Heating?

Radiant floor heating is a form of central heating that achieves indoor climate control for thermal comfort by using convection, radiation, and conduction. This form of heating can be traced back to the Roman Empire, who used a system of central heating called a hypocaust, a network that produces and circulates hot air below the floor of a room, and may also warm the walls with a series of pipes through which the hot air passes.

Instead of overheating the room’s perimeter in the hope that the warm air may travel throughout the space before rising, radiant heating serves up heat from below. The result is a more universal heat that warms everything in the room, including surfaces, furnishings, and, most importantly, you.

Radiant heating systems work by directly warming the objects and the people in a particular room. This type of heating may often feel like the warmth of the sun, because radiant heat warms from the process of heat radiation. This also allows people to feel warm even when the ambient temperature in the room is actually colder. It’s a similar concept to standing in direct sunlight as opposed to standing in the shade.

Why Would I Need Radiant Floor Heating?

Have you ever walked through your house and noticed that certain rooms or spots are noticeably cooler than others? Most homes have a few “cold spots” due to tile flooring (which leaves room for cold to seep through) or other features such as a cement slab, unheated crawl space, or an unheated garage.

Have you noticed dust particles and various allergens floating around your house from time to time? This might be a side-effect of your current heating or cooling system. With radiant floor heating, there is no danger of dust or allergens getting kicked up every time you decide you need your living room a bit warmer.

Types of Radiant Floor Heating Systems

There are two main types of radiant floor heating systems: electric and hydronic. Hydronic systems pass hot water through various pipes to create heat, while electric systems heat wiring underneath the floor to generate heat.

Electric Radiant Heating Systems

Electric radiant heating systems are typically supplemental and are not meant to be the sole heat source for a room. The cables for this type of heating system are installed over the subfloor in a bed of thin-set mortar.

Electric floor heating systems are known for being easy to install and ideal for remodeling projects. These systems also heat up in around half an hour to an hour, so homeowners can use them as much as needed to keep costs down.

Hydronic Heating Systems

Hydronic floor heating systems use hot water pumped through plastic tubing to heat the floor. This system is the best for whole-house heating, however these can sometimes be difficult to retrofit if the home doesn’t already have the proper equipment.

The upfront cost of a hydronic heating system is usually higher than electric because it requires a boiler, a pump, and gas lines. However, the cost of operation is typically lower with a greater area covered.

Hydronic systems also take longer to heat up, so most homeowners tend to leave them on around the clock, resulting in more energy usage.

Adding Value to Your Home

While all of these features might make your life a bit easier, heated floors also add significant value to your home. This can add great home resale value for anyone looking to sell their home in the future. If you are looking to sell in Park City, consider reaching out to us at Jensen and Company today. We have our finger on the pulse of the Park City real estate market and can help you sell or find your new home.