MAKING MODERN LIVING POSSIBLE
Introduction to Hydronic Floor Heating
Danfoss Heating Solutions |
Handbook |
Handbook |
Introduction to Hydronic Floor Heating |
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Index |
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Introduction |
3 |
Why choose floor heating? |
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Where can floor heating be used? |
4 |
Energy consumption |
4 |
Comfort and user behaviour |
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Temperatures in the room |
5 |
Optimum floor temperature |
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Temperature distribution in the room |
6 |
Heat loss |
6 |
Floor heating system dimensioning |
7 |
For all heat sources |
8 |
Individual room temperature regulation |
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Floor construction and system performance |
9 |
Summary |
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© Danfoss |
02/2010 |
Handbook |
Introduction to Hydronic Floor Heating |
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Introduction |
In recent years, underfloor heating has become |
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increasingly popular. This is due to the fact that |
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underfloor heating provides a range of opportunities |
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not offered by traditional heating methods both in |
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residential and commercial buildings. |
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However, underfloor heating also offers some |
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challenges and in order to make the very most |
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of the opportunities it is important to choose the |
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right solutions with regard to floor construction and |
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regulation method. |
Danfoss offers a versatile range of products for complete floor heating systems which are all based on two main principles:
•Danfoss floor heating solutions are optimized for easy, fast and safe, installation by the installer
•Danfoss floor heating solutions ensure that the end-users experience optimal thermal comfort at minimal energy consumption
Why choose floor heating?
In most countries, floor heating is the preferred |
buildings and other commercial properties it is |
heating method in new buildings. This is particularly |
also increasingly popular. Floor heating gives the |
the case in residential properties, but in office |
end-user a number of benefits: |
No ‘”ugly’” radiators which require cleaning.
Furniture can be placed as required without having to take radiators into consideration.
Floor heating provides comfortable heating as your feet are kept warm while your head is kept slightly cooler. Most people find this difference in temperature between feet and head most comfortable.
There is currently a tendency to prefer wood and tiled floors over carpeting. It is exactly for these ‘”cold’” materials that floor heating can provide extra comfort.
As floor heating supplies heat to the entire room, the differences in temperature that occur between a radiator and the furthest corner of the room are avoided.
Currently, people are focusing much more on their indoor climate. Increasing numbers are plagued by asthma and allergic problems and it is therefore important that thorough cleaning of the home is made possible. Floor heating makes cleaning much easier. In addition – due to the large heating surface – floor heating means that less air is mixed and thereby less dust occurs in the room.
Everyone is familiar with the problem of water on the bathroom floor. With floor heating, water evaporates quickly and the floor quickly becomes dry and warm again.
With floor heating the room temperature can be lowered 1-2 °C which means energy savings of 6-12 %.
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02/2010 |
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Handbook |
Introduction to Hydronic Floor Heating |
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Where can floor heating be used?
As long as the floor heating system is properly designed and installed with regard to floor construction, cover, materials, etc., there are practically no limits to where it can be used.
•Floorheatingcanbeusedforallfloorfinishes,tiled floors, wood (solid/parquet), linoleum and carpeting (although the output temperature must be calculated accordingly)
•Floor heating can be used in all new buildings
•Forrenovationofexistingbuildingstheinstallation height may be a limiting factor, but for this type of application products like the Danfoss SpeedUp™ and SpeedUp Eco™ systems offering very low builtin height are available
•Forrenovationofsinglerooms,floorheating connected to the existing heating system and equipped with a self-acting regulating valve, can be a good and an economical solution
•Forinstallationoffloorheatingintheentireproperty, wireless controls like Danfoss CF2 control system is a great advantage, because no electrical cables need to be wired
•Floorheatingcanbeusedwithallheatingsupply systems. However, the output temperature must be adjusted so that the floor surface temperature never exceeds the recommended value (e.g. recommended by the wooden floor supplier).
Energy consumption |
The heat consumption of floor heating has been a |
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much-discussed issue for many years. There have |
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been many claims about rising heating bills for floor |
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heating instead of more traditional radiator sys- |
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tems. |
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When floor heating was originally introduced, house |
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constructions were not changed and floor heating |
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was simply installed by running floor heating pipes |
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in floors, which otherwise were constructed as |
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usual. |
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As the floor heating pipes are embedded in the floor, |
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automatically, there is a greater heat loss downwards |
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and thereby a negative effect on the heating bill. |
Today, things have changed – the floor construction is insulated far better than before and now special requirements are in place for the installation of floor heating.
This means heat loss from the building is now typically equally good for houses heated with floor heating systems as for houses heated with more traditional heating systems.
But other factors affect energy consumption when comparing floor heating to other heating options namely user behaviour and personal comfort. Most people find it most comfortable to keep their head a couple of degrees cooler than their feet and the room temperature when using floor heating can therefore advantageously be reduced by 1-2 °C in comparison to traditional radiators, which means energy savings of 6-12 %.
Comfort and user behaviour
In contrast, most people feel comfortable with warm feet – and the floor temperature can then be so high that the room temperature becomes uncomfortable, e.g. in bathrooms with tiled floors.
The above examples of user behaviour pull in different directions when it comes to energy consumption and show that it can be difficult to provide an unambiguous answer to what floor heating means for energy consumption as this will depend very much on the individual consumer.
However, it can be concluded that compared to other heating systems floor heating - if used correctly - will save energy and at the same time provide better comfort for the end-user.
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02/2010 |
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