Although converting a home from traditional heating, cooling, and electrical methods may cost a bit much initially, government grants are available to help offset the large bill. By incorporating components such as radiant heat, geothermal heat, solar panels, and green insulation, a home can increase in market value and become more environmentally friendly.
Radiant Heat
Radiant heating, also known as floor heating or infared heating, works by transfering heat from a hot surface directly to a room. This works much like a stove which heats the kitchen while in use.
Radiant heating is far more efficient than forced air or floorboard heating because unlike these methods, radiant heating does not require the use of ducts to transport heated air. The heat simply "radiates" from the surface, which can be a wall or floor, and is moved around a room due to covection. Radiant heating systems can use a variety of energy souces, including natural gas, oil, electricity, and water.
There are three types of radiant floor heat:
- Air-heated radiant floors - These are the least efficient variation of radiant floor heat because these systems still require a furnace to heat air and transport it through floorboards. Although these furnaces can be run using solar panels, they are still rather costly to run.
- Electric radiant floors - This system is comprised of eletric cables that are run beneath floorboards and are heated using electricity. This option is best used for small home additions that require heating. Rather than running addititonal heating ducts from a furnace, it is typically more ecnomical to run a few electric heating coils beneath the floor. The downside to this option is the cost to run it - depending on the geographical location, the cost of electricity versus gas or oil may be greater.
- Hydronic radiant floors - The primary component in this most commonly used heating option is a hot water boiler. This system works by pumping heated water through coils that are located under floorboards. By installing several zoning pumps, a homeowner can control the temperature in each room separately.
Geothermal Heat
Geothermal heat pumps, also known as ground-source or GeoExchange, work by utilizing the constant temperature of the earth located just below the surface, which typically ranges from 45 to 75 degree F year-round. These systems also can be used to cool as well.
Geothermal heat pumps are highly energy efficient (300% - 600% more efficient than traditional systems) due to their mode of operation. Rather than altering the temperature of air located outside, geothermal heat pumps use the temperature located below the earth's surface as its main source. Because this surface temperature is warmer than that of air in the winter and cooler than that of air in the summer, the heating/cooling system runs less to achieve the same goal.
Despite the rather large price tag for installing a geothermal system, the long-term benefits justify the cost.
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