If you're tired of stepping out of the shower onto a freezing cold tile floor, maybe it's time for you to investigate radiant floor heat--particularly if you're building a new bathroom or doing major remodeling (most types can be tricky to retrofit). Radiant floor heating is warm and cozy underfoot--in fact it warms your entire body quietly and invisibly with radiant energy instead of by blowing warmed air into the room the way a more typical forced-air heating system does.

Radiant floor heating systems are either hydronic (hot water) or electric. Hydronic systems utilize a system of tubes that wind beneath the floor, transferring warmth from the hot water that circulates within them. They require a special water heater. Electric radiant systems employ special electric-resistance panels, coils, or foil to radiate heat. Because these are essentially like the innards of a large toaster, they can draw considerable electric energy when turned on.

Unless you have great access to the underside of the floor you want to heat, radiant floor heating is not easy to retrofit under an existing floor. It's easiest to install it in new construction or where you're tearing-up the floor during a major remodeling project.

For more specific information about radiant floor heating, select the articles listed here.