If you’re sick of freezing in your own home every winter, floor heating systems can help. They’ll keep you warm and toasty — without making your energy bills skyrocket.

But if you want to get the very best system, you’ll need to follow these 4 tips:

1. Make sure your floors can handle in floor heating
This may seem obvious, but lots of homeowners think that any ol’ floor can have an in floor heating system underneath it! Luckily, many of the most popular types of flooring can handle floor heating systems, but if you’ve got carpet, genuine hardwood, vinyl, or linoleum floors, you won’t be able to take advantage of it.

2. Forget about hydronic floor heating systems

Once you’ve determined that heated flooring is right for you, you’ll have to decide between and traditional electric system and a hydronic floor heating system.

So, what’s the difference?

A traditional electric radiant heating system uses a network of cables underneath your floors. When you turn the system on, the cables gradually heat up — and, as a result, heat up the floors above them.

Instead of using cables, hydronic floor heating systems use special tubes of water underneath your floors. When you turn the system on, electricity is used to heat the water. Then, the hot water rushes through the tubes and gradually heats up the floors above it.

While this method is just as effective as an electric radiant heating system, it’s not as energy efficient. You’ll actually wind up using twice the amount of electricity in a hydronic system because you’ve got to heat the water AND move it around.

3. Look for heated flooring with multiple thermostats

If you want to be as energy-efficient as possible, be on the lookout for a heated flooring system that comes with thermostat dials in every room. That way, everyone can sit in a temperature that’s perfect for them. If your system only has one thermostat, Mom might be sweating in the kitchen with the oven on, while you’re still freezing in the den.

4. See what kind of warranty you can get

A quality in floor heating system will be like any other home investment — meaning you’ll be protected with a warranty. The longer your warranty is, the more comfortable you can feel about getting a good product. After all, a heated flooring manufacturer isn’t going to give you a warranty that’s actually longer than the life of the product!

You can stay warm and comfy all winter long when you work with the team at EZ Floor Heat!