Radiant ceiling heat can be found in some Sequim homes, but for most buyers radiant heat is a mystery. Today we answer the question, “Is radiant ceiling heat good or bad?”
Radiant Ceiling Heat
Misconceptions about radiant ceiling heat abound. For example, the conversation often goes like this. Heat rises, so why would you install electric heat in the ceiling? And, it can’t be efficient. Most people would bet that electric baseboard or electric forced air would be more efficient than radiant ceiling heat, but they would be wrong.
Radiant Ceiling Heat Efficiency
Here’s the truth about radiant ceiling heat. Radiant heat is the same kind of heat the sun uses to heat the earth. Consider how radiant heat works on a sunny day at the beach. The sand is hot, and stones and concrete are hot, but the temperature of the air is comfortable. You can breath warm air and be quite comfortable, yet the sun didn’t have a large fan pushing the heat down on you. It is radiant heat. Radiant heat is 100% efficient, because it requires no fans, no ducts, and no system to transport the heat.
Radiant ceiling heat will heat an entire room and the difference in the temperature from floor to ceiling will only be one degree. Radiant heat seeks out the cold objects and instantly heats them, so your furniture will be room temperature and not cold. You don’t have floor vents blocked by furniture or wall heaters that take up space.
If radiant ceiling heat is so efficient, why isn’t it installed in all homes? It is more expensive to install, but over the long run, it is less expensive and requires no maintenance. If you look at a home with radiant floor heat or radiant ceiling heat, you may have gotten lucky.
Last Updated on September 7, 2019 by Chuck Marunde
