Radiant floor heating is a great experience as well as a luxury that is affordable and practical, especially when talking about Utah heating during the winter months. Feeling the warmth of a heated floor is a great feeling. Compared to lighting the fireplace, heating with radiators or forced air systems is the usual method of heating a home but doing in from the floor as it radiates throughout the home keeps the environment temperate.

A radiant floor heating system is heated by a series of hot-water tubes or electric wires that are installed under the floor. As invisible waves of thermal radiation rise from below, they warm up the atmosphere through the house and radiate warmth in every corner. Though the air temperature remains relatively constant, you stay comfortable because cold spots are not robbing warmth from your body. The constant warmth can warrant lowering the thermostat, thus lowering the energy bills, a necessity for Utah heating, where energy bills are moving upward as the housing market and economy are still moving downward.

This method of heating compared to the conventional method of forced air heating wastes energy because the air blows out of the registers, rises to the top of the room where it dissipates and drops back down as it cools. The temperature in the room can be at different levels such as your head is warm but your toes are cold. With radiant floor heating, the temperature is constant from floor to ceiling.

There are two basic ways to supply heat to the system: electric wiring or hot water. Electric radiant wires that zigzag in loops under the floor. Hot water hydronic systems are the most popular and the most cost effective way to heat an entire house. Specially treated polyethylene tubing under the floor, carries water from a boiler or a water heater to provide heat. The tubes can be installed in a variety of ways—on top of the subfloor in grooved panels or snap in grids is one way. Another way is to clip the tubing into aluminum strips on the underside of the floor. A third way is to embed the tubing in poured concrete.

The hot water radiant heating method does cost more to install whether starting from scratch or retrofitting the system into an existing floor. The least expensive method is to embed in a concrete slab. But the expense is worth it in the long run because a homeowner can realize 30 percent more efficiency than forced air heating. Using plastic tubing is less expensive than using copper tubing and lessens corrosion, which will happen over time.

Utah Heating


There are places in Utah that are close enough to geo thermal pools that run underground and have a constant heat of about 115-120 degrees. It’s free energy 24/7, 365 days a year. And in the summer, cut the flow of the water and redirect it out of the tubing. It is advisable to contact a Utah heating professional to discuss details and budget.