What happens when the weather gets cold is that you switch from using your air conditioning unit to cool the house and you start the heater or furnace up. The heater uses different mechanisms within the unit to heat the home. Believe it or not but this is usually when the unit stops working or at least has trouble that needs to be repaired. If you call out a repairman and he tells you that you are in need of a new unit you may want to consider having it repaired instead or replaced. If you are wondering if installing radiant heating system in your home is right for you, read on!
NY NJ A/C Conditioning has a list of pros and cons when it comes to radiant heating in your Manhattan New York home compared to the traditional forced air system.
Electric Radiant Heating & Forced Air Efficiency
When you use radiant heat to heat up your home you can save on energy which in turn will save you money. A standard heater will use forced air to send the warmed air through the home. This is a good way to heat the house but it can be wasteful. There can be leaks in the ductwork that could be releasing the heat into the attic space and not in the home where it is useful. The radiant heat doesn’t waste any of the energy. When the heat is coming from walls or flooring and radiating outward it is only using the heat to warm the house and not losing any of it. It is however more expensive – especially when it comes to repairs (and there a lots of things that can go wrong). After all, a forced central air system is a lot easier to access!
Radiant Heating Disadvantages
Because a radiant heating system utilizes no ductwork, in order to have the benefits of central air in summer, dedicated ductwork must be installed anyway. Upfront installation costs of a radiant heating system are high, particularly in an existing home that is upgrading to it. Also, not every floor covering is appropriate for a radiant heating floor system. Any floor covering that insulates the floor from the room, for example conventional thick carpet, simply cannot be used. Finally, the time it takes between starting a radiant heating system with a cold floor and achieving the desired level of warmth in any room is much longer than a forced-air system. Who wants to wait when you’re cold?!
Why Forced Air is a Better Option
NY NJ A/C Connection believe that forced air has more advantages than radiant heating since you would need to do some major home remodeling to install a radiant heating unit; and all at a considerable cost – if your current flooring is even compatible. A forced air unit can be installed, repaired and replaced without disturbing any of the homes décor or structure. These are some of the main reasons that a central forced air unit is much more common in homes all across America!
