Warm and Toasty

“Once you’ve lived with heated floors, they are hard to live without.”

As homeowners in Northeast Ohio prepare for chillier temperatures, imagine the feeling of stepping onto a warm and toasty floor. Radiant heat is one of the most luxurious and appreciated features of new baths and kitchens among homeowners and is almost always a wow factor to help sell a home.

Radiant heating enhances the quality of a home. It has functional value by counteracting the adverse effects caused by rising heating costs and heating overhead areas where heat is not needed. Radiant heat gradually emerges from the floor, allowing for more efficient and better heat distribution than conventional forced air systems. As a result, when your feet are warm, you don’t need as much heat to feel comfortable in the rest of your home. This is particularly important in open-floor plan homes with high ceilings. In addition, radiant heating systems allow homeowners to use their heat and energy expenditures more efficiently by heating the lower half of a space more and the top half less. The difference is seen in lower monthly utility bills, which is more than welcome in today’s high energy costs.

A question many homeowners have is where radiant heating systems should be installed. We recommend bathrooms, especially the primary bath, the kitchen, bedrooms, and spaces that are not carpeted. These include entryways, mudrooms, and foyers. Imagine coming home on a snowy day and removing your shoes to find a heated floor that immediately takes the chill off. K&B Designers know that this efficient heating system takes comfort and design goals to a new level. Once you’ve lived with heated floors, they are hard to live without.

Another creative radiant heating application is countertops. Imagine the impact on family and guests dining on your new island that automatically warms plates, soup bowls, or coffee cups.

The two most popular radiant heating systems in homes are hydronic and electric. Hydronic systems are the more efficient option because they use hot water to heat the floor through a network of tubes embedded in concrete slabs or a layer underneath the tile, stone, wood, or other floorcovering material. Electric radiant heating systems may be a more efficient option depending on the cost of electricity during non-peak hours.

How can radiant heating make your home more enjoyable and valuable? Call us at 440-543-8050 or visit our showroom at 8554 Washington Street in Chagrin Falls, and let’s discuss how we can add a luxurious system to your home and keep you warm and toasty.