What is the difference between boiler radiant heating and electric radiant heat? While the main difference is the source of the heat, water vs. electric, there are many more subtle differences that can determine which kind of heating is best for the room or entire home.
Boiler Radiant Heating
Boiler Radiant Heating requires your home is equipped with a boiler. The heat is transferred to baseboard units, radiators or waterlines in a slab floor which provide a consistent radiant heat to heat your home. Normally, boiler heat would not be used for a single room due to the cost, but would be installed in the entire house. A pump or several pumps pull water through the system and direct the hot water to different rooms or zones of the home. Each pump would be controlled by a thermostat to have different temperatures in different areas of the house.
Electric Radiant Heat
Similar to Boiler Radiant Heating, Electric Radiant Heat uses electricity and can use baseboard units or in the ceiling or floor to provide heat to the area. These usually have a thermostat per room which gives ultimate flexibility for comfort. Electric radiant heat is also easy to install in just one room like a tile floor in the bathroom or kitchen.
Check out John from Pristine Home Inspections show the various radiant heating methods below: