The added benefits for installing geothermal heat systems

Yes, a geothermal heat system is a great energy-efficient way to heat and cool your home. In addition to energy savings, these systems offer another convenient benefit: radiant floor heating. What some may think of as a luxury, it’s easy to warm your floors with radiant heating when you have a geothermal system in place at home.

With a geothermal heat system, a hydronic radiant floor heating system can easily be added on. Hydronic systems use hot water to carry heat to areas within your home. A network of piping is laid below floors, and 

can even be used outdoors to melt snow off sidewalks and driveways.

Radiant floor heating is a great comfort feature to add in combination with geothermal heat systems. Imagine your feet hitting a nice, warm floor in the winter! These systems are also perfect for warming up cool tile flooring in kitchens and baths. When used with geothermal heating systems, radiant floor heating costs very little to operate.

With a geothermal heat system and radiant floor system in place, you’ll want to choose the right floor coverings to conduct the heat properly. The most common floor covering to use with radiant floor heating is ceramic tile, because this material conducts heat well and provides additional thermal storage. Other flooring materials such as vinyl, linoleum, and wood can be effective, but you’ll want to choose a material with minimal insulation. Carpet, for instance, is often thicker and includes a thick pad; to use carpet with radiant floor heating, choose a thinner carpet and dense pad for better results.

When installing a geothermal heat system, think of the additional comfort and benefit a hydronic radiant floor heating system can provide your family. Practical and convenient, these systems can be easily added to your geothermal heat system installation. Call Smith Sustainable Design for more details.