Angie's List: Radiant Heat Floor System Could Help Save On Energy Costs

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Are you tired of feeling a cold floor under your bare feet?

A radiant heat floor system could be what you need and Angie's List has some tips.

"With radiant heat, it heats up the floor and all the objects in the room and you don't have the on-and-off cycles like you do with a forced-air system," radiant heating professional Sean Smith said.

"A radiant floor can be a great addition because it's efficient, it's quiet and it provides that nice touch of blanket of heat, but it is expensive to install," Angie's List founder, Angie Hicks, said.

There are two kinds of systems: hydronic and electric.

A hydronic system is usually designed to heat an entire house and installed during construction.

An electric system is more typical in bathroom or kitchen remodels as an additional heat source.

"If you're going to be adding it to a remodel, you're going to need to access that by either installing it from the basement or you're going to have to replace the floor itself," Hicks said.

If you replace the floor, make sure your flooring and heating system professionals are working together to ensure compatibility.

Once it's done, winter won't seem so harsh.

"You're going to feel that heat more consistently. Also, the mass of the floor absorbs that heat, so even when the boiler or the heat source isn't working or the electricity is not working, that floor is heated," Smith said. "It is a luxury that once you have it, it is hard to go back. And the other thing is you notice it when you don't have it."

Hicks said an electric radiant heat system should cost about $7 to $10 per square foot, and it will also add to your monthly bill.

A hydronic system can cost twice as much to install, but can save you about 20 percent in annual energy costs compared to a traditional forced air system.