Yes, electric floor heat can be used as a primary heat source in most rooms.
In fact, the average floor heating system puts out as much, if not more, heat per square foot than other heating systems. It also heats rooms more evenly than forced air heating.
There are a few things to consider if you plan on using a floor heating system as your main source of heat.
- Construction of the room may limit the area being heated.
- Depending on the product you use, you may not be able to heat tricky corners, but custom mats may solve this issue.
- If the room being heated has a lot of outside walls that are not properly insulated or if there is an unheated space such as a basement beneath the heated floor, some of the heat may be lost through the walls or subfloor.
- Most modern homes are very well insulated and do not have this problem
For older homes, insulation can be added to walls and beneath plywood subfloors if needed
- Most modern homes are very well insulated and do not have this problem
Overall, electric floor heat is an excellent choice as the primary heat source if done properly.
Mike simms says:
Hello,
I have a client that wants to heat his kitchen with floor heat only. I was looking at the Ditra system.
He wants to use the Calorique system of mats. Not a fan. I have 140 sf of floor space I can heat that is in and out of base cabinets along the walls and an island. There system is 10 watts sf. What is the ditra system if I do the 2.5″ spacing.
Thanks
Mike
Marye Lee says:
Hi Mike,
The Ditra-Heat system would work great for a kitchen floor! Keep in mind that you never want to heat under anything built directly onto the floor, such as cabinets, vanities, a kitchen island, etc. If those objects are floating, then you can heat underneath, but that really isn’t necessary since the client will never really stand there.
When using the Ditra-Heat system, it is not recommended to space the cables far enough apart to achieve 10 watts/sq ft. Your only option would be the standard 3-stud spacing which provides 12 watts/sq ft or use the alternating 3-2-3-2 stud spacing to produce 15 watts/sq ft.
Feel free to contact us at 866-558-3369 if you have any further questions. Also, feel free to send us a drawing of this kitchen, and we can give you a quote for this system using the spacing of your choice.
Warm Regards,
Warm Your Floor Team