What is Infrared Heat?
Infrared heat is an ingenious heating system specially designed for use under laminate, luxury vinyl flooring and stone composite flooring. Infrared heat is a radiant flooring product that very effectively distributes the heat in your home or business.
Infrared heat is a system that provides continual and thorough heating.
How does Infrared Heat work?
Infrared heating film is installed on concrete basement subfloors or any other plywood subfloor. Infrared heat technology is based on the electric resistance of carbon. Heating film has excellent insulating and fire proof properties and only reactivates when the surface temperature drops below the set thermostat temperature. The copper bus bar provides the electric current, while the silver lattice secures the material to prevent sparking.
Why should I choose Infrared Heat?
Infrared heat is healthy heat
Infrared heat is a far-infrared radiant heat that provides a long lasting and thorough heating system. Infrared heat is known to effectively suppress odors and growth of germs resulting in a healthier environment.
Heat film technology produces nearly identical radiant heat waves as the sun. The same way the sun heats water, infrared heating systems transfer heat to our bodies and can effectively and gently increase blood circulation, rid the body of toxins and even provide pain relief.
Unlike forced air heating systems, far-infrared radiant heating systems do not blow dust or allergens which helps asthmatics and those with allergies. Infrared heat provides stable moisture which is great for rheumatism sufferers and reduces the growth of mold and mites.
Infrared heat is more efficient than other heating systems
Infrared heat is uniform heat
Infrared heat film technology requires a lower ambient temperature to warm an area than other forms of heat because it covers the entire floor surface area and radiates heat upward. This fills the entire room with uniform heat throughout. The far-infrared carrier waves heat the room uniformly and provide the sensation of the warm sun on your body. Once infrared heat in-floor heating reaches the optimum temperature, it uses very little energy to maintain this uniform heat throughout the area.
Infrared heat is a fantastic replacement for baseboard heaters
Baseboard heaters are usually installed on exterior walls under a window, typically the coldest area of the room. Thermostats are often located on an interior wall across the room. This location difference creates varied temperatures across the room. Baseboard heaters must heat the air and are constantly cycling on and off. Infrared heat in comparison heats the room evenly and more efficiently.
Infrared heat works well with Heat Pumps, VRF and Mini-Splits
Infrared heat is a perfect complement to mini split systems, VRFs, and heat pumps. As we work with many contractors we have learned there is a need for an energy efficient solution to provide supplementary or primary heat if a system fails for any reason during the cold winter temperatures. Many of these contractors shared that infrared heat in-floor heating film offers a far more efficient alternative to secondary baseboard heating.
Depending on application requirements, running coils into other rooms may be cost prohibitive. Infrared heat solved those problems as well. By using mini-splits and VRFs with infrared h eat in tandem, we maximize energy efficiency while maintaining a client’s budget.
What type of subfloor do I need?
Infrared heat can be utilized under floors that were previously inaccessible due to traditional in-floor heating systems. Infrared heat has many advantages as it provides uniform heat throughout the entire space and can be installed in basements on concrete subfloors or any other level of the house on plywood subfloors.
Concrete Subfloors
Image courtesy https://hexheat.ca/
Wood Subfloors
Image courtesy https://hexheat.ca/
Where can I install Infrared Heat?
Infrared heat is extremely versatile and can be installed in a large variety of buildings, homes, and businesses.
Contact us for your quote today.
Are you a contractor?
Wishco Premium Home Solutions partners with contractors and journeymen. If you are interested in installing infrared heat, contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will infrared heat damage the flooring material?
No. Our technology has been designed with a double safety redundancy.
- Infrared heat is engineered to limit heat values to about 32 degrees Celcius. Given various flooring materials, we recognize that maximum temperatures are required to not prevent shrinkage or plasticizer migration damage.
- Thermostats and modules coupled with floor sensor probes limits the maximum internal temperature setting for laminate floors to 28 degrees Celcius.
How much money can I save with infrared in-floor heating?
Infrared in-floor radiant heating provides significant cost savings as compared to other forms of heating. Over 10 years, the overall cost of infrared heat is less than half the cost compared to boiler or baseboard heating.
Cost comparison based on 250 sq ft:
| Description | Hydronic | Baseboard | HexHeat | |
| Energy used in a typical 240 square foot room, based 0C outside and 21C inside | kw/month | 700 | 1152 | 400 |
| cost per kwh | $0.133 | $0.133 | $0.133 | |
| monthly cost | $93.10 | $155.22 | $53.20 | |
| Estimated Material Cost for 240 square feet | $3,600 | $480 | $1,680 | |
| Boiler Cost | $10,000 | |||
| Running Cost over 5 years at 8 months/year heating | $3,724 | $6,129 | $2,128 | |
| Total Cost after 5 Years | $17,324 | $6,609 | $3,808 | |
| Total Cost after 10 Years | $21,048 | $12,737 | $5,936 |