In-floor heating can help

Dear Jim: My utility bills are high and often Im chilly. I know electric resistance heating is expensive to operate, but I like the idea of infloor heating. Does it only work in tile, or can it be used under carpet? Ron A.

Dear Ron: In general, electric resistance heating is expensive to use for heating a house. This is why most homes with all-electric heating use heat pumps, which can be several times more energy-efficient than resistance heating. Resistance heating is basically a big toaster with a blower.

Electric infloor heating is technically no more efficient than an electric resistance furnace, but because it improves comfort dramatically, it can be much less expensive to operate.

A house will use less electricity for each degree the thermostat is set lower. With improved comfort from infloor heating, you should be able to lower the thermostat setting and not feel chilly.

With infloor heating, you can have a separate computerized thermostat for each room so you can heat a room only when you need it.

Instead of heating the room air, a warm floor radiates heat upward to your body, making you feel warmer. When your feet are warm, your entire body feels warm.

Infloor heating reduces the extent of heat stratification, in which the hot air from a furnace naturally collects up near the ceiling.

Infloor heating is most efficient in a concrete slab or in a tile floor with high thermal mass, but some types are specifically designed to be used under carpeting, hardwood or laminate flooring.

It can actually provide better comfort under carpet or hardwood because their low thermal mass allows the floor temperature to respond faster to the wall thermostat.

In a concrete slab or under a tile floor, electric heating cable is usually laid in a serpentine pattern in the concrete or thinset. For use with carpeting, thin mats or sheets are placed on the floor before the carpeting is laid.

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In-floor heating can help