Consider hydronic heating as the cutting edge, energy efficient heat choice if you are ever the primary decision-holder in your household regarding HVAC installs and upgrades. Hydronic heating is also called radiant heating, and the principles can be analogized as the difference between an incandescent and LED light bulb. An incandescent light bulb creates heating through a filament wire which heats and sends high energy (hot) electrons out into the surrounding space. For the case of light bulbs, this excites the gas in the volume of the bulb and makes a glowing light. LED light bulbs exploit the property of the material so not nearly as many electrons at nearly as high an energy need to be excited and released in order to cause the same amount of luminescence. Being in the floor, another feature exploits the property the heat rises, so your heating system radiates heat from the ground up, unlike conventional in-wall HVAC systems that may leave the floor tiles feeling cold. But, what is the main difference between hydronic heating and the antiquated heated floors of years past? Heated floors traditionally work on the same principles a the above mentioned incandescent light bulbs, with metal coils being the heat generators. Hydronic heating exploits the unique heat capacities of fluids, and rather than metal coils, consist of tubes filled with these fluids.The fluid is most typically water, which is very safe compared to fancy chemically-engineered coolants that are used sometimes in HVAC systems. Water is actually very efficient at heating, and floor heating has proven to not only provide consistent heating throughout the room, but also allow for a cooler air temperature for the same amount of perceived heating. Talk about smart heating choices!