Heat Pump Radiant Floor Heating System

This is what we used in our seattle zero energy house.

Heat pump radiant floor heating system.

The system works via pex pipe a small pump a water heater and a thermostat. A heat pump is a mechanism that is used to extract heat from a source with lower temperature and transfer it into a source with a higher temperature. The device produces heat it is transferred to the piping and then the tubing makes the floor of your house warmer through the heat exchanger which immediately changes the entire environment. We have been told by hvac specialists that the best solution would be geothermal followed by hot water heat pump electric hot water then forced air heat pump and electric radiant.

While air source heat pumps are very common geothermal heat pumps are considered. This is about installing hydronic radiant floor heating in a slab floor system. Air to water heat pumps green building. Radiant floors typically require between 110 120 f supply temperature and larger systems can be as low as 80 90 f.

A radiant floor cooling system will not solve humidity issues but installing a large or whole house dehumidifier can do this job very easily at about the cost of an ac. While it was done as a new house was being built in my last house i poured a concrete floor on top of a wood framed floor system and could have put radiant heat in that as well. A geothermal heat pump would be an excellent heat source for radiant in floor heating particularly our w series heat pump. We live in a zone 7 area and are building a one story 2000 sq ft on a slab and have decided we would like to heat the house with in floor radiant.

The reason is simple the lower the design temperature the higher the performance of a heat pump. We don t have natural gas so that is not an option. How does a heat pump work in a hydronic radiant floor heating system. Perhaps the best matched heating system for any heat pump is radiant floor hydronic heating.

These are similar to standard air source heat pumps but the outdoor unit has a heat exchanger which heats an antifreeze solution that circulates through the home via an in floor radiant or wall coil and fan system. How much you ll save depends on local propane and electricity rates but a geothermal heat pump is around 350 efficient while a propane boiler would be less than 100 efficient. A heat pump can also be used for cooling however only the heating option is needed in radiant heating systems.