Hydronics and Boilers

Radiant and hydronic heating is old technology; it has been around since the Roman Empire. Homes have been heated radiantly since fire was discovered; however, distributing that heat effectively and efficiently has greatly improved.

The hydronic boiler heating industry fell out of favor in the late 1940’s and early 50’s with the introduction of the forced air furnace. The furnace allowed a cheaper and faster way of heating the homes that were being built after World War II. These were mostly single homes in suburbs rather than apartments in the city. It was then that heating supply companies evolved, specializing in forced air equipment.

The hydronic business has seen a resurgence since the early 80’s with the trend of larger homes, higher energy costs, and homeowners seeking better comfort. Even with the recent slump in home building, this trend grows 6-13% annually. Today, boilers are 10-20% more efficient than a furnace which boasts 90% efficiency. Furnaces lose much of their heat to cold metal ducts and the natural inefficiency air has in holding heat. Furnaces are fueled by natural gas and electricity. They have limits on providing zone heating, heat about 3,000 square foot, and have a relatively short life expectancy of 8-10 years. Boilers can be fueled with oil, gas, propane, coal, wood, or pellets. If designed and installed properly, a radiant or hydronic heated home or business has zoned heating and sees energy savings of 35% annually. Not only does a boiler heat air, it heats it faster and hotter and delivers it to a room quicker in a shorter period of time, and has the capacity of heating 10,000 square feet. Boilers can also produce all the domestic hot water needs of a home or business at over 70% savings. At 25 years plus, a boiler’s life span is more than double that of a furnace.

Because of the savings and high energy costs, over 90% of Europe’s heating is done with hydronics. Many studies show that the United States is following this trend.