What is radiant heat?
Radiant heat is not new. Here we will explore radiant heat and the advantages of radiant floor heating. Heating by way of a radiant floor system has been growing in popularity in North America for the last few decades. Europeans have been enjoying the comfort of radiant heating in their floors for most of the last century. Romans were using a convective based radiant floor system almost two thousand years ago. (Although you had to be the Emperor to afford it.) In fact, our planet has been heated by radiant energy as far back as we can remember. Ever wonder why you can get so hot when you’re out in the sun during the summer, but it can be sub-zero in outer space? The answer lies in how radiant energy is transferred. Thermal energy can be transferred from warm objects to cool objects in one of three ways: Conduction, convection and radiant. Conductive heat transfer happens when two objects are in contact. Conduction is what can make a cool pool feel great in the heat of summer and a cold
Radiant heat is produced by infrared energy that is transmitted from a heat source in the same way that heat energy travels from our sun. (The sun doesn’t warm us with its visible light – it warms us with the infrared energy that is just below the visible light spectrum, the “light” we can’t actually see.) Infrared energy moves through the air and converts to heat when it strikes a solid object, such as a person, sofa, book or table.
IQ Glass is a radiant heating system. Radiant systems provide unique, cost-effective approaches to addressing numerous conditions affecting human thermal comfort, as primary or hybrid systems. Radiant systems are used to condition space, often in the traditional way that convection systems must do, by their nature, to produce a selected air temperature. However, radiant heating systems may also be used to heat people in comparison to space. The idea is that the occupied air mass is heated to a lower dry-bulb air temperature than with a convection heating system as long as the occupants are radiantly heated. The idea is to save energy or to overcome otherwise adverse local comfort conditions. The ability to sunbathe on a calm spring day is a dramatic example of the role that radiant energy can play in providing thermal comfort at a lower ambient dry-bulb air temperature. Another equally striking example is that of skiers in swimsuits on days when the air temperature is around freezing p
Radiant heat is heat which radiates out from an element, warming objects rather than the air. An example of radiant heat that many people may be familiar with is the heat which comes off an electric element on a stove. People often use the term “radiant heat” or “radiant heating” to describe a particular type of home heating system which has been in use for thousands of years. When a home is heated with radiant heat, rather than heating air and encouraging it to circulate, radiant elements are installed in the floor, walls, or ceiling. The elements heat the surrounding surface, which in turn radiates heat out into the room. Some convection is also involved in a radiant heating system, as the air in the room naturally warms and starts to flow, promoting the spread of heat. There are a number of advantages to using radiant heat. This type of heat tends to be more efficient, especially since it can be installed in a number of creative ways. It is also silent, requiring no fans or blowers
