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TECHNOLOGY AND YOU

New radiant heaters warm like the sun

Q: Dear Jim: I prefer the efficiency and comfort (for my allergies) of radiant heat, but I don't want to tear up the floors to add it. I am considering adding electric ceiling or wall radiant panels, but will the heat go down?

A: Radiant heat is one of the most comfortable and efficient methods of heating a home. Just like the sun's rays feel warm outdoors on a cold winter day, radiant heating panels heat your body and objects instead of just the air. This allows you to keep your room temperature cooler, without sacrificing comfort, which reduces energy loss through walls and windows.

It is a common misconception that heat flows upward better than downward. Radiant heat energy, just like light from a light bulb, flows up evenly in all directions. This is often confused with heated air which naturally flows upward because it is less dense than cooler air.

There are many simple do-it-yourself radiant heating methods, other than warm floor systems, which require little remodeling work. These radiant heating kits are ideal for heating just one chilly room in an existing home or for an entire new home. There are even small plug-in radiant units designed specifically to fit under a table or desk (for the office).

In addition to lower utility bills and comfortable steady radiant warmth, you will notice fewer dust mite and mold allergy problems. I am highly allergic and I use a quartz radiant heater and a radiant wall picture heater in my study. By eliminating the blowing air from a forced air system, radiant heat reduces airborne allergens.

The other key advantages of ceiling and wall radiant heat are that they are totally quiet and maintenance-free. Since these systems heat objects and people in a room, not just the air, the room temperature stays fairly steady. Hot (near a register) or cold spots in a room are minimized.

Most people end up mixing and matching several different radiant methods or kits for different rooms in the house. Once you install radiant heat in one room and feel the comfort, you will add it in others too. Since the heating system in each room is independent, you can vary each room's temperature at different times of the day (called zoning). This yields major savings.

An excellent choice for almost any room is electric radiant ceiling panels. These are often available as large attractive panels (can be painted any color or pattern). Smaller two and four-foot panels are also available to fit standard suspended ceiling T-bar grids.

For example, Berko's small two-by-two foot ceiling panels (only one inch thick) have adjustable heating wattages from 250 to 375 watts. A larger eight-foot panel has wattages up to 1,500 watts. They

James Dulley is a mechanical engineer who writes on a wide variety of energy and utility topics. His column appears in a large number of daily newspapers.

Copyright 1999 James Dulley

18 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING MARCH 2000

are designed to be surface mounted to your ceiling or you can use a recessed kit. For bathrooms or wet area select a panel design sealing with silicone.

If you are handy with tools and you are doing some remodeling yourself, select Therma-Ray by Canray or Panelectric radiant panels. Low-temperature nichrome wires are embedded inside the wallboard gypsum. You can order panels with whatever heating wattage your room requires.

Another simple-to-install option (Calorique) is a thin polyester plastic film with carbon heating strips sandwiched in it. This film is sized to fit perfectly in ceiling joist spacing. You just staple it up under the ceiling joists and attach standard drywall Several companies also make heating cable that is attached to spacers behind the drywall.

Attractive cove radiant heaters (Radiant Heater Corp. and Radiant Systems) are the easiest to add to a room. These are long, narrow heaters that are mounted on the wall by the ceiling. In this position, one unit radiates heat out to an entire room. These are only several inches wide and are finished in many colors or wood graining. Wattages range from 600 to over 1,500.

If you have a small room, or only need to heat a small area, use a quartz radiant heater. These produce heat almost instantly with no sound or annoying drafts. Some models (Marvin) also have very small fans to help heat a larger area. Other designs oscillate to cover a larger area.

Write for (or instantly download - www.dulley.com) Utility Bills Update No. 524 -buyer's guide of 13 radiant panel, film, cove, and quartz heaters, sizes, comfort controls and features. Please include $3.00 and a business-size SASE. Mail to: Jim Dulley, Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708.

MARCH 2000 • ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING 19