page_title: Radiant heating
section_title: Underfloor installation
hierarchical_section_title: Radiant heating / Types of Radiant Heating / Underfloor heating / Underfloor installation
caption_attribution_description: English: Image of high voltage electric floor heating system being installed
context_page_description: Radiant heating occurs when a hot surface warms other objects around it. Radiant heating has a long history of use in buildings by the Romans and the Koreans, and is much more efficient than standard ways of heating the air in a building. Underfloor radiant heating is the most common type of radiant heating used in buildings, but wall and overhead radiant heating systems are also used. Radiant heating can also be used to heat outdoor areas.
context_section_description: Underfloor radiant heating systems can be installed as either wet or dry systems. Wet systems are laid down and then concrete is poured over them. Concrete floors hold heat very well, but can take a long time to absorb the heat. Dry systems run in open air space between the foundation and the floor, but can be less efficient because they have to heat the air too. However, dry systems are much easier to reach if the system breaks or leaks.
  Any kind of flooring can be used with underfloor heating, but ceramic tiles are the most popular floor material because they transfer and store heat well. Materials like wood, carpet, or linoleum tile decrease the heat transfer from the underfloor system and the system must be set at a higher temperature if any of these materials are used.
caption: Concrete being poured for a wet electric heating system.
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