Modern timber-framed houses are characterised by low heat loss and, consequently, a relatively low energy requirement for heating. The long-standing experience of homeowners (including many owners of timber-framed houses) who use electric radiant heating (most commonly in the form of large-area underfloor or ceiling heating, supplemented by local radiant panels) in combination with wood-burning stoves shows that, even after years of use, electric heating remains a very good – and often the best – choice for these homes.
This stands in stark contrast to the ‘media shorthand’ which presents heat pumps as the only effective heating source for timber-framed buildings. Not only our own findings, but also a range of other experiences, measurements and analyses show that the reality is somewhat different… An interesting study comparing heat pumps and electric heating in timber-framed houses was, for example, published on the drevostavitel.cz website, which specialises in timber-framed houses and related technologies. The reason is simple – conventional hot-water systems, including heat pumps as a heat source, are unable to ensure a targeted and precise supply of small amounts of heat to individual rooms in the house. You can find a link to the study in question here.
The advantages of electric radiant heating – and this remains true even at current electricity prices – include low installation costs, easy and precise regulation, a long service life, no maintenance and maximum thermal comfort. Legislation and ongoing regulation are forcing builders of timber-framed buildings to combine electric radiant heating with renewable energy sources such as heat recovery or a solar power system, but here too the market is having its say, and people are installing photovoltaic systems themselves (partly thanks to subsidy schemes) with the aim of reducing consumption and dependence on external sources. Furthermore, new benchmark projects demonstrate that the combination of electric radiant heating, smart home Battery storage systems and photovoltaics is highly viable and offers excellent prospects for this type of heating in homes. Electric radiant heating is by far the best solution for responding to heat loss and, in particular, to heat gains, which can vary very rapidly and drastically in energy-efficient homes. Studies we have carried out with the Czech Technical University in Prague also show that the savings achieved through the system’s flexibility are enormous.
Our company manufactures electric radiant heating systems, so it stands to reason that we will always highlight the advantages of our systems. Nevertheless, throughout our history, we have relied on practical experience and the results of real-world measurements, and it is on this basis that we develop our solutions. From the outset, we have been confident that people would increasingly favour environmentally friendly solutions that do not harm the local environment, and would demand a higher level of comfort. Our emission-free, unattended and maintenance-free systems, with their extremely long service life, meet these requirements in full.
