Is radiant floor heat a sustainable heating source for a tiny house? - Gold Heat

Written by Joey Leffel | Mar 31, 2022 8:00:00 PM

Is radiant floor heat a sustainable heating source for a tiny house?

Tinyhouse.com thinks so!

Written by Guest Blogger: Jason Francis, Tinyhouse.com

Nobody likes waking up in the cold

You wake up looking forward to that warm cup of coffee to get your day started. Hop out of bed, and put your feet on the ground.

Your toes immediately recoil from the chilly flooring, and the tiny house is colder than under your blankets; your mind starts trying to convince you to get back into bed.

Instead, dash to the mini-split thermostat and turn up the temperature. This is frustrating because, with just a mini-split, even heating isn't an option unless you've installed a mini-split in multiple zones of the house.

Ugh! I hate that.

Tiny house climate management: kind of a big deal

When you build or buy a tiny house, climate management is kind of a big deal. Typically, a first-time tiny home buyer doesn't think much about heat. They should. Because there are several ways to heat a tiny home.

"Your heat source is a very important factor to consider when looking to 'go tiny'."

- Tinyhouse.com

Tinyhouse.com's favorite tiny house heating

Our (tinyhouse.com) favorite type of heat source for a tiny house is radiant floor heat. The science behind how it works is science.

Floor heating works best for small homes, bedrooms, bathroom floors, and hallways.

The heat from within the floor warms everything that it touches. This warmth continues to transfer to everything it touches and then warms the air. As you walk around your home, every room that is heated by floor heat will be a consistent temperature.

Opposed to standard air heating solutions like a mini-split, a mini-split only heats the air. This does warm the objects slowly, but it takes a lot more heat. Plus, blasting heat from the mini-split delivered at 130 degrees makes a room or loft uncomfortably hot.

Then, as soon as the air temperature reaches the thermostat temperature, the hot air turns off and the space starts to cool down.

"If you heat air, instead of "things", that warm air is going to find a way to get outside."

- tinyhouse.com

The science of electric radiant floor heat

If you heat "things", the heat from the floor wants to move toward them and keep them warm. Electric radiant floor heat keeps temperature much longer than an "air-warming" mini-split or HVAC heating system. That's because radiant floor heat continues to charge the flooring material with warmth when the floor heat system isn't running.

How electric radiant floor heat works

Electric radiant floor heat pushes out and removes any moisture from inside and under the tiny house. This is a big deal since almost every tiny home is prone to unwanted moisture. Underfloor heating solves the problem of unwanted humidity and dampness caused by environmental factors.

Electric floor heating generates heat through electricity running through resistance cables. These systems have three major parts: a heat cable, a thermostat, and a temperature sensor.

Big tiny house benefits from electric radiant floor heat

It’s incredible how radiant floor heat works. Studies show that you can keep floor heat temperature lower than a typical this-air heater and still be comfortable. Less energy = more power. Now that's science.

According to the US Department of energy, radiant floor heating has a number of advantages.

1. It is more efficient than baseboard heating

2. It's more efficient than forced-air heating because it eliminates duct losses.

3. People with allergies often prefer radiant heat because it doesn't blow allergens around the house as forced air systems can. This is because radiant floor heat doesn't use fans to distribute its radiant warmth. No fan means no dust. No dust means that you can put that Swiffer away for another day.

Good to know

A floor heat thermostat isn't the same as a traditional thermostat. Radiant floor heat needs it's own type of thermostat that talks to the heat sensor installed in the floor.

Floor heat uses the thermostat to monitor and control the temperature of the floor - not the temperature of the air. This is why radiant floor heat doesn't need to emit 150 degree heat like a forced-air heater or mini-split does (that's why it's expensive to run these type of units).

Floor temperature never exceeds 85 degrees (per electrical code). Floor heat temperature doesn't need to be over 85 degrees - you're already at the heat source wherever you go in the house (or wherever the floor heat was installed in the house).

The floor heat company we like best

Zack and Jason's personal experience

Installing radiant floor heat in a tiny house

"From personal experience, before we heard about Gold Heat, we had tried a handful of different electric heated floor systems. They all had issues of some sort.

Whether it was installation issues, or problems with them actually working, we ended up giving up radiant floor heat altogether. There wasn't one radiant floor heat product that worked well when you installed it in a tiny house.

When we did get a floor heat product to work, the system gave out within the first year of use. Is there actually a radiant floor heat system that works for mobile living?

...and then when we found the nicest people to work with that have an exceptional product...Gold Heat!" .

- Tinyhouse.com

About Gold Heat

Gold Heat is a Proud Member of THIA

Made to be mobile

Gold Heat knows about homes with the ability to be mobile. The Gold Heat electric radiant floor heat product has been installed inside luxury motorcoaches and RVs since 2002.

Award-winning design

Gold Heat's product reliability, delivery schedules, and top-notch customer service continually receive Top 10 supplier awards from the world's largest RV and motorcoach manufacturers.

Really nice people

Gold Heat is here for the long haul (LOL get it, long haul a tiny house on wheels?).

Brian Bishop, CEO of Gold Heat discusses tiny house floor heat with tiny house gurus Jason & Zack Francis from tinyhouse.com

Final thoughts

"A tiny house owner has different choices of methods to heat a tiny house. We choose Gold Heat's Black Gold floor heat film.

Because, nothing comes close to what electric radiant floor heat does for a comfortable tiny house living space. The company's product quality, service, and personal installation and troubleshooting support you receive from Gold Heat and their team of radiant floor heat experts are top-notch."

- Zach and Jason Francis, tinyhouse.com

Learn more about electric radiant floor heat film for tiny house heating

Tinyhouse.com recommends supplementing your mini-split heating capabilities and adding Gold Heat's Black Gold electric radiant floor heat film for tiny home heating.

Have questions about Black Gold electric radiant floor heat film for tiny houses?

Just ask us at tinyhouse.com! Contact tinyhouse.com today. Let us tell you about our experience with Gold Heat products and the company.

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