In today’s climate, we are all looking for affordable and eco-friendly ways to heat our homes.
In our search for energy efficient heaters, a lot of people have come across hydronic baseboard heaters but many instantly dismiss them. Why?
Well, one reason could be because not a lot of people have heard of hydronic baseboard heaters and because they don’t know a lot about them or how they work, they dismiss them instantly.
However, this is very unfair as hydronic baseboard heaters could be the solution to your problems.
If you need some convincing to give hydronic baseboard heaters a chance, then check out these six different reasons why they are definitely worth your consideration!
Table of Contents
What Is A Hydronic Baseboard Heater?
A hydronic baseboard heater is an electrical heating system that works very differently from normal convection baseboard heaters.
Convection baseboard heaters work by sucking in cold air, heating up that cold air using electric coils, and then sending the warm out into your home to keep the area nice and warm.
Hydronic baseboard heaters work differently as they use water to heat up your home.
They heat up the water using electricity and then the heated water runs through the pipes in your baseboard, sitting inside these sealed units emitting heat to warm up your rooms through radiant heat.
This means it works very similar to radiators, only they take up way less space and can be hidden along baseboards in each room.
It is a fairly easy and simple concept to grasp, but a lot of people dismiss hydronic baseboard heaters because it sounds too similar to how radiators work – but there are a lot of advantages of hydronic baseboards heaters that makes them a solid contender when it comes to heating up your home.
So, here are six different reasons why you should give hydronic baseboard heaters a chance!
Safety
Radiators are often hot to touch and this can lead to some serious injuries when children and pets are involved.
This is why a lot of homeowners are starting to move away from radiators and are looking for safer ways to heat their homes – and hydronic baseboard heaters (see also ‘Everything You Wanted To Know About Hydronic Heating‘) could be the answer.
Hydronic baseboard heaters do not feel very hot to touch even though they heat rooms with rough radiant heat just like radiators.
Instead, their surface temperature is very low which means any skin that comes into contact with them is far less likely to suffer from burns or other minor ailments.
They do admittedly feel warm, but they are nowhere near hot enough to feel uncomfortable.
You can easily hold your hand against a hydronic baseboard heater and not feel the need to flinch away in pain.
So, if you or your pet accidentally bump into it, you are far less likely to burn yourself than with other heaters and radiators.
This makes hydronic baseboard heaters a great choice for nurseries, playrooms, kids bedrooms and any room your pet likes to roam around.
So, why not keep you and your family safe by installing a few hydronic baseboard heaters instead?
Efficiency
We mentioned earlier how everyone is looking for a more cost-friendly and eco-friendly way to heat their homes, and hydronic baseboard heaters are just the thing due to their efficiency.
Hydronic heaters provide more heat despite using the same amount of electricity per hour.
This is because once they switch off, convection heaters stop giving out heat and the temperature of the room begins to drop.
Hydronic heaters, however, continue to give out heat and this results in your thermostat cycle being used less frequently.
While your convection heaters are constantly turning themselves on and off to keep your house warm, hydronic baseboard heaters are still giving out heat even after they have stopped heating up the water.
This means that you use less energy overall, lowering your energy usage and saving you money.
Not only that but less energy usage means your carbon footprint decreases and you do your part to help out our planet.
It really is a win-win situation!
Noise
Convection heaters are noisy – there’s no easy way to say it.
This noise is a huge issue when it comes to heaters because if you try to use them in the bedroom or office where you need peace and quiet, then you will probably end up distracted and restless.
This means that a lot of people often feel like they need to choose between peace and quiet, or a nice warm home.
Luckily, with hydronic baseboard heaters, you don’t have to make that choice.
Without all that moving air and ducts, hydronic baseboard heaters are far quieter than convection heaters.
They still provide as much heat as far less noise, meaning that you can switch them on through the night or during a study session without having to worry of noise interrupting your flow.
So, no longer will you have to choose between rest or feeling warm and cozy – you can do both with hydronic baseboard heaters.
Air Quality
A common issue with convection heaters is that they greatly reduce the quality of your home’s air.
Because they work by sucking in cold air and blowing out hot air, they often kick up a lot of dust and allergens that you end up breathing in.
So, if you have allergies or pets, then convection heaters are not recommended for your use.
Using convection heaters around your home will result in your allergies flaring up and you will notice that you may experience itchy eyes, coughing, sore throats and irritated noses just by sitting around your home.
Hydronic baseboard heaters do not have these side effects because they use water to heat your home instead of air currents.
They work by heating water in their units and this results in more moisture in your air and fewer chances of circulating dust and pet dander.
Therefore, hydronic baseboard heaters are the better option for those who suffer from allergies or live with a lot of pets.
Longer Lasting Heat
While we touched on this topic a little easier, it’s important to note that using hydronic baseboard heaters also means that your home stays warmer for longer.
When convection heaters switch themselves off after they finish their cycle, your home instantly starts dropping in temperature.
This means you will probably end up feeling chilly again relatively soon until the heaters kick themselves back up.
This can be super annoying – constantly switching between warm and cold then back to warm, etc.
With hydronic baseboard heaters, you are way less likely to feel this effect.
This is because once your hydronic baseboard heaters switch off, they are still producing heat through radiating heat.
The water in those pipes is still hot and will remain so for a long time, allowing them to continue warming up your home even without using any electricity.
This means that each session of warmth you get from a hydronic baseboard heater will be longer lasting than a convection heater, making your home more comfortable and cozy for longer.
So, not only is this feature great for your energy bills, but it’s also great for your own comfort too.
Room To Room Heating
Hydronic baseboard heaters can come as freestanding, which means that each unit can be self-contained and that the liquid sealed within each unit can be controlled by its own independent thermostat.
This allows you to heat each room independently instead of having to heat up your entire house just to feel warm in one room.
After all, is there any point in heating the kitchen once all of your family have gone to their rooms for the night?
To help save you from wasting more energy than you need, you can just use freestanding hydronic heaters to warm up individual rooms – which means that you only warm up the rooms you need to.
This can save you a lot of money when it comes to your energy bills and helps lower your carbon footprint, making hydronic baseboard heaters not only super affordable but sustainable too.
Conclusion
So, if you’re looking for an easy way to keep your home warm and comfy throughout the year, then consider getting yourself some hydronic baseboard heat (see also ‘Baseboard Heating Vs Forced Air‘).
These heaters offer many benefits over conventional heating systems such as convection heaters, including how efficient and sustainable they are.
So, take a look at the above reasons why you should consider installing hydronic baseboard heaters instead of convection heaters and think about which type of heater is truly the most beneficial for your home.
