Radiant heating and cooling

Section view of room with internally cooled and heated concrete slab ceiling
Section view of room with internally cooled and heated concrete slab ceiling

Radiant heating and cooling is a category of HVAC technologies that exchange heat by both convection and radiation with the environments they are designed to heat or cool. There are many subcategories of radiant heating and cooling, including: "radiant ceiling panels",[1] "embedded surface systems",[1] "thermally active building systems",[1] and infrared heaters. According to some definitions, a technology is only included in this category if radiation comprises more than 50% of its heat exchange with the environment;[2] therefore technologies such as radiators and chilled beams (which may also involve radiation heat transfer) are usually not considered radiant heating or cooling. Within this category, it is practical to distinguish between high temperature radiant heating (devices with emitting source temperature >≈300 °F), and radiant heating or cooling with more moderate source temperatures. This article mainly addresses radiant heating and cooling with moderate source temperatures, used to heat or cool indoor environments. Moderate temperature radiant heating and cooling is usually composed of relatively large surfaces that are internally heated or cooled using hydronic or electrical sources. For high temperature indoor or outdoor radiant heating, see: Infrared heater. For snow melt applications see: Snowmelt system.

  1. ^ a b c ISO. (2012). ISO 11855:2012—Building environment design-Design, dimensioning, installation and control of embedded radiant heating and cooling systems. International Organization for Standardization.
  2. ^ ASHRAE Handbook. HVAC Systems and Equipment. Chapter 6. Panel Heating and Cooling, American Society of Heating and Cooling, 2012