Related Advice
Related Guide
Latest posts
Responses (1)
- Discussions
- Mechanical systems
- Heating and cooling
- Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized
- In-floor heat
- Electric heat
- Radiant floor
- Hydronic heating
- Radiant heat
- Radiators
- Hydronic
- Radiant heating
- More
Related products
Related Advice
What is better for a small slab on grade foundation: water (glycol) or electrical radiant heat?
Posted by Mark Dixon
July 7, 2020, 2:56 p.m.
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized
3 Responses
How could I convert my hydronic gas heated floors to electric heated floors?
Posted by Betty Potter-Collins
June 7, 2020, 8:20 p.m.
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized
1 Responses
Which radiant floor heat is best?
Posted by tony wolff
Dec. 25, 2020, 1:22 p.m.
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized
3 Responses
Is solar air heating for a floor as efficient as solar hydronic?
Posted by Ryan Johnson
Dec. 7, 2020, 9:02 a.m.
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized
2 Responses
What heating system to use in my new detached garage/shop?
Posted by David Perreault
Dec. 4, 2020, 10:23 a.m.
0 Responses
Does hydronic radiant cooling work?
Posted by dean c
April 30, 2019, 8:01 p.m.
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized
1 Responses
We are looking to build a slab on grade, do we need radiant heat?
Posted by Scott Self
Sept. 21, 2020, 10:34 p.m.
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized
2 Responses
Is hydronic slab heat appropriate in a super insulated home?
Posted by Andrew Wright
Feb. 3, 2021, 3:26 p.m.
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized
1 Responses
Would you recommend Legalett over water radiant floor heat for a backyard studio in Toronto?
Posted by Christine Pountney
May 2, 2019, 1:22 p.m.
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized
1 Responses
Can hydronic radiant heating be a complete heating solution for a home?
Posted by Jeremy Peters
Dec. 16, 2019, 1:13 a.m.
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized
3 Responses
How do you install radiant floor heating in an old building?
Posted by Rob Doda
March 19, 2020, 3:21 p.m.
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized
2 Responses
What are the options for radiant heat with a slab on grade?
Posted by August Wehrmann
Feb. 3, 2019, 6:52 p.m.
Delivery: radiant, forced-air and decentralized
1 Responses
Good question, but a tough one, so I’ll start with the easy part first - When powered by electricity there would be virtually no difference in operational cost between those two systems. Any form of electric resistance heat generation (heated floors, furnaces, hair dryers, kettles, baseboard heaters etc.) would cost the same on a ‘BTU per watt’ scale.
Keep in mind that a boiler for a hydronic floor can be powered by either electricity or gas, so any difference in operational cost would be determined by your local gas and electricity rates. Quebec electricity rates are among the lowest, while Ontario rates are among the highest, for that reason very few people are currently installing electric heat sources in Ontario, but it is the most common heat source in Quebec. An Ontario resident installing a radiant floor would probably choose hydronic with a gas boiler.
As for install cost, you may find electric wire systems to be a bit cheaper, but get a quote for each to be sure. If you are planning on doing it yourself, watch some DIY videos and see which you find to be easier, here is our video of a hydronic tube installation, it is really quite easy but gets a little more complicated hooking up a manifold and boiler.
Heated floors can be done with electric wires, hydronic tubes, but there is also one company that installs air-heated tubes in slab on grade foundations, powered either by electricity or gas. Radiant heat is a very comfortable heat, so as you choose the more affordable fuel source and the system is properly designed to heat the space and the install cost is affordable, you will probably be happy with the results.
One final thought we would share – be careful not to get talked into installing an insufficient amount of insulation below the slab. Don’t go with the base requirements of Building Code, we would recommend at least 6 inches below a heated slab in most parts of Canada, and even more in the colder regions. Read more on sub-slab insulation here.