Hard floor surfaces can feel cold in the winter months even when the air is heated to normal temperatures. This is due to forced air heating systems only heating the air within the room. Since the floor surface is much more massive than the air, the result is the floor never reaches the temperature set by the forced air heating thermostat.
The solution is to heat the home using a radiant floor heating system. All surfaces within the room are heated to the same temperature as the floor. This includes the walls, furniture, and of course, you, the occupant of the building.
In order to heat the floor, the radiant floor heating system uses warm water running through plastic tubing that is installed in the floor. The warm water is circulated through the floor using pumps and valves and is heated by a boiler. The boiler can be heated using natural gas, propane, heating oil, electricity, or wood, and there are also options for solar hot water panels to heat your home.
There are several comfort and health benefits to radiant floor heating. It is very easy to provide indoor temperature control for each room or zone within a home. This allows you to keep your regular living areas warm and comfortable while reducing the temperature in guest rooms that are used infrequently. Indoor zoning can provide the greatest comfort for each room while providing the option to control your energy costs.
Regular forced air heating thermostats are not well suited to operating radiant floor heating systems. These thermostats turn on the radiant floor when the air is below the temperature setting, and shut off when it's above the temperature setting. The result is the floor tends to shoot past the air heating temperature when heating and then does not turn back on until the floor temperature is cold. It can be quite unpleasant riding this temperature rollercoaster!
With over 28 years of experience controlling radiant floor heating systems from thermostats all the way to boiler controls. Our thermostats use Pulse Width Modulation and Indoor Temperature Feedback technology to periodically pulse the floor with the right water temperature so that the floor maintains a steady constant temperature, thereby maintaining optimal comfort.
Our thermostats also include the option to install a floor temperature sensor. The sensor is used to provide the following options:
In order to provide energy savings, tekmar thermostats also include the option to provide a programmable night setback schedule. The thermostat reduces the temperature during the night, thereby providing energy savings. The thermostats can then use the Optimum Start feature together with Indoor Temperature Feedback, to ensure the room and floor settings are back up to temperature when you wake up in the morning.
tekmar also has solutions for boiler control, zoning, operation of cooling systems, and remote internet access options for your radiant floor heating system. So enjoy the ultimate in comfort with a radiant floor heating system using tekmar thermostats.
In order to provide accurate indoor temperatures, the heat supply to the building must equal the heat loss from the building....
with a tekmar House Control System! Below are the actual results of 12 homes retrofitted with tekmar House Controls. Location Fuel Type Usage (Gallons /...
Many heating and cooling systems consist of equipment and controls, which are installed as stand alone pieces only able to operate...
The two-way communication link in tekmarNet® systems opens up a world of options for temperature control. Through communication, access to system...
Hydronics is the most comfortable, cost efficient heating or cooling choice used in homes and buildings today. Why? It's versatile, comfortable,...
Snow melting systems are becoming more popular in today’s homes and businesses as a convenient & cost effective method of automatically...
Use your smartphone or computer to control your heating & cooling systems over the Internet from anywhere in the world. The...
In Canada, an estimated 81% of household energy use is for space heating & domestic hot water generation1. In the...
The 370 & 371 House Controls are no longer available for purchase; however, if your customer has either of these controls,...
With an increased focus on going green, heat pumps are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative energy source in hydronic applications....
Replacing older thermostats with modern versions doesn't have to be difficult. The task can be simple when you select a model...
Hard floor surfaces can feel cold in the winter months even when the air is heated to normal temperatures. This is...
Temperature control has never been more convenient. Now you can access and set tekmar radiant floor thermostats using third-party home automation...
How to improve comfort and efficiency using the RoomResponse™ signal During milder conditions and times when heat is added through indoor activity,...
Gain system efficiency by selecting multiple boilers During much of the heating season, the heating load is small, usually less than 25%...