What is Radiant Energy?

Radiant energy is produced by electromagnetic waves and is used for solar energy, heating and lighting. This type of energy is perhaps most commonly used with floor heating systems for homes. One of the benefits of radiant energy is that electromagnetic waves can be reflected, allowing them to be redirected. When radiant energy reaches an object and is not reflected, that object absorbs the energy and is immediately warmed. That's what happens, for example, inside a car on a sunny day. The inside of the car absorbs the radiant energy from the sunlight and is warmed significantly.

Radiant Energy for Homes

Radiant energy has been used as a source for heating for thousands of years. The ancient Romans designed buildings so that they would face the radiant energy in order to capture as much sunlight as possible. Now, radiant floor heating systems are gaining in popularity in many cold climates in the United States. The majority of the systems relying on liquid-based technology called hydronics. Plastic tubing filled with warm water is attached underneath the floor. The water is warmed through radiant energy and the heat moves from the coils into the room, warming everything in its path.

Benefits of Radiant Energy

• Cost savings. Radiant energy heating systems are more efficient because there are fewer moving parts, such as air vents and ducts. That means more of the warmth provided by a solar-power boiler into the hydronic coil system goes where it is needed. In fact, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers recommends that homeowners set their thermostats 6 to 8 degrees lower if they have radiant floor heating system as opposed to convection or forced-air heating systems.
• No air flow needed. A radiant floor heating system does not involve forcing air through vents. This can be a significant difference for homeowners who suffer with indoor allergies. The forced movement of the air through a duct system often allows the air to pick up all sorts of dust particles and allergens that may or may not be caught in a filter system.
• Clean energy. Because radiant energy comes from the sun, and because the boiler unit to heat the water in the coils under the floor can also be solar-powered, there is no pollution at all associated with radiant energy systems. By relying on the sun, there also is no concern about running out of the fuel source, since most scientists agree our sun should be around for about another billion years.