With the structure of the house firmly in place it is time to start working “behind the walls”. When you stop to think about it, you regularly see only two surfaces in your home: the inside and the outside. It can be surprising to realize that almost everything that makes a home function is happening out of sight. Water supply lines, drain lines, vent pipes, electrical, heating, data wiring, cable, insulation, vapor barriers, drywall, etc… It is an impressive list of products and systems that all play an important part in homes that are durable, efficient, healthy, renewable, comfortable, and beautiful.
Case has chosen a very effective combination of Radiant Heating applications for both homes in their Columbia City Green project. They have installed in-floor radiant heat within the concrete slab of the first floor and will be placing wall mounted Hydronic “toaster” heaters (so nicknamed because of their white enamel exterior) on the upper floors.
Before the concrete slab was poured on the first level, worker’s placed a layer of reinforcing steel in a grid pattern across the floor space (see above). To that grid they attached a network of special plastic tubing that will carry heated liquid through the slab, warming it and the house. On the upper levels the heat is delivered through wall-mounted Hydronic panels which resemble a modern take on the familiar radiators seen in many older homes. These panels do an excellent job of heating rooms and offer greater adjustability at the panels themselves when more or less heating is required.
One way that a Radiant Heat system is very different from Forced Air heat is the way in which the heat is delivered. You can think of Radiant Heat as the warmth you feel from a stove element or an open oven door. It is the direct transfer of heat from a hot surface to the people and objects in a room. Forced Air heating sends rapid gusts of hot air through a series of heating ducts and into the room through vents in the floor (usually one to two per room), resulting in pockets of warm and cool air throughout the heated space. You can see from the image below that airflow patterns and the temperature of the air are very different between the two methods. Forced air heat spends most of it’s time on the perimeter walls of the room and rarely warms the floor or objects in a room. Radiant on the other hand generally has a more consistent heat across the entire inhabited space.
The warmth in radiant heat systems is created by passing liquid (usually water based) from a boiler out through either a network of tubing under the floor or directly to the wall mounted panels. This tubing forms a continuous loop back to the boiler where the demand for heat is adjusted with the use of a standard thermostat in the home. Because heat is delivered more effectively, thermostats can be set at a lower temperature without any loss of comfort. Radiant Heat systems are typically cheaper to operate than forced air systems and have the added benefit of considerably reducing airborne allergens.
Radiant Heat systems are gaining in popularity and although they are more expensive to install, the benefits that they offer compared to forced air heating are many. When combined with adequate insulation, multiple-pane windows, and proper ventilation a Radiant Heat system will provide a quiet, comfortable heat that feels great and keeps airborne allergens and the need for dusting to a minimum.
For the next post we will start talking about siding and how the layers of materials that make up the exterior of a home can greatly affect the durability of the structure and even the quality of the air inside the home. Please comment, ask questions and let us know if you would like to know more about a specific topic. As always if you would like to know more about Case Design & Project Management you can visit the Case website or follow them on Facebook.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Architecture + Home Design, CASE Design & Project Management, Columbia City Green, Green Building, Green Homes, Radiant Heating
[...] steps and systems that make up a home. We have talked about the Foundation, the Framing, the Radiant Heat and Ventilation, the Siding, the Windows, and the Green Roofs. We have also spoken in depth to [...]
[...] areas and systems that make up a home. We have talked about the Foundation, the Framing, the Radiant Heat and Ventilation, the Siding, the Windows, the Green Roofs, the Interior Finishes, and the Rainwater [...]