The way underfloor heating systems work is completely different to the way conventional radiators work. And here is why.
How radiators work
Conventional heating systems operate on the principle of convection. Once the water that circulates inside radiators has been heated, normally reaching a temperature of 60 to 80 °C, radiators transfer the heat to the air around them, which will then radiate throughout the room.
Unfortunately, however, this method has various disadvantages: heated air is drier, dust is spread more easily and, what is more, a lot of fuel is consumed to heat the water, which makes conventional systems not that economical or environmentally friendly.
How underfloor heating systems work
Radiant systems, instead, work in a completely different way, since they operate on the principle of radiation. When they are being installed, pipes are placed under the floor that run through each room in its entirety, and water circulates inside at a temperature of between 30 and 35 °C. The temperature is lower (compared to conventional systems), which naturally means that less energy is required to achieve the same heating effect. <>This is because the heat produced by the pipes is transferred to the floor, ensuring that it is evenly distributed from the ground up and throughout the room.
In fact, heat pumps are one of the most cutting-edge technologies available on the market, since they use external renewable energy (air, groundwater or subsoil water) to heat the house and, if necessary, to produce domestic hot water.
They are eco-friendly, since they do not use any fossil fuels – unlike a condensing boiler – and ensure substantial savings, partly due to a number of available government subsidies. The features of radiant floor heating systems are exactly the reason why combining the two is the perfect solution.
In fact, heat pumps need to operate within specific temperature ranges in order to ensure utmost efficiency, which basically rules out combining them with classic radiators. Besides using radiant systems, which are still considered the best solution, heat pumps can also be combined with fan coils. Fan coils, however, require temperatures of about 45-50 °C, which decreases the overall efficiency of the system by about 25%.
Is the energy demand of your home not excessively high? The solution offered by Clivet is the Sphera EVO 2.0 split heat pump, which has a wide range of capacities (from 4 to 16 kW), a domestic hot water storage tank with a capacity of 190 to 250 litres and anti-Legionella function, and even a 4-year warranty. This model also stands out for its cutting-edge, which allows it to blend in seamlessly with all kinds of furnishings, and is ideally suited for use in combination with radiant floor, ceiling and wall heating systems.
On the other hand, if the weather is particularly cold in winter, it is best to choose the Edge EVO 2.0 EXC outdoor packaged heat pump, which ensures excellent performance even at low temperatures and is able to produce domestic hot water at 60 °C. Developed by Clivet, this air-to-water pump has a power range from 4 to 30 kW, with the option to connect up to 6 units in cascade in order to reach 180 kW. In case of extreme weather conditions, it can also be equipped with an additional electric heater.