Radiant Floor Heating Costs

Radiant floor heating prices vary a lot. The price varies with the type of the system used, the project size and the quality and type of equipment. 

The several types of radiant floor heating systems are hydronic or liquid floor heating, radiant panel heating and electric floor heating. These all have extremely different initial costs and running costs.

The primary investment needed for installing a radiant electric floor heating system or a radiant panel heating system in a single room would be a lot less than the cost of installing a hydronic or liquid floor heating system for the same room.

However, although the cost for operating a hydronic radiant heating system is lower, it demands a higher investment initially. This kind of heating system would be more cost-effective, as it has lower running costs, when used for larger homes or projects.

Running costs for these heating systems are mainly dependent on the radiant system's energy source. Since hydronic radiant heating systems have boilers that are connected to a ground heat pump or a solar system, they have significantly lower running costs. On the other hand, with radiant electric systems and radiant panels, which use conventional electric sources, they have higher operative costs.

For a radiant electric floor heating system, the installation cost is around $500 to $800 for a room like a kitchen or bathroom, which are the usual places where this kind of heating system used.

Radiant panel heating systems have a price range of around $200 to $500. The thermostat, which is attached to each panel, more or less costs $40 to $50.

The prices for the more sophisticated radiant floor heating systems are a bit more expensive and may vary depending on the quality of the equipment and the size of the house.

Costs that range around $3 to $10 for every square foot are common. A system that can heat a home with a floor area of 2,500 square feet could cost around $5,000.

Basically, costs can vary a lot, which largely depends on the type and size of installation. A project for an area of 2,000 square feet that has a high efficiency boiler and sophisticated controls could have a cost of $4 to $6 for every square foot for a "wet" installation and $5 to $7 for a "dry" installation. Smaller projects have higher costs and larger projects have significantly lower costs.