Any type of in-floor radiant heating is one of the most comfortable forms of heat for homes. The warm floor radiates heat to your body, providing a similar feeling to standing in the sun on a cold day. Also, by keeping one's feet warm, the entire body feels warmer. Most in-floor radiant heating is installed under ceramic tile or other masonry floor surface, but some types are designed for installation under low thermal mass flooring, such as carpeting, hardwood or laminate floating floors.

When it is installed under these flooring materials, it provides quicker temperature response to changes in the thermostat setting. Electric in-floor radiant heat is energy efficient.

Whether or not installing it will lower your utility bills depends upon the type of central heating system in your home and how you use the in-floor heating. If you have a new efficient gas furnace, it will produce heat less expensively than the electric resistance heating from in-floor heating. Overall energy savings from electric in-floor heating can still be realized because its radiant heat allows you to set the room temperature lower and still be comfortable.

Also with electric in-floor heating, the temperature in each room is controlled by its own thermostat. This allows you to zone-heat (different temperatures in different rooms) your house and save even more energy. For rooms with carpeting, several companies offer radiant in-floor heating sheets or mats that are very thin. They use a mesh or foil material that is easy to install yourself. The manufacturers can help you determine how much heating and the size of the kit your room requires.

Heatizon uses a very safe low-voltage heating screen design that is easy to install. It is only one-eighth-inch thick and is stapled in place on the floor. It has a 25-year warranty. A wafer-thin heating kit by Warmly Yours is designed to be placed between the carpeting and the pad. Another design by Warmly Yours uses fiberglass-mesh embedded with heating cables, which is ideal for under hardwood flooring.

Check with the hardwood flooring manufacturer about the maximum allowable floor temperature, to avoid overdrying the hardwood. This kit comes with its own sensitive thermostat for comfort and to protect the hardwood. Most companies also offer the standard 120- or 240-volt heating cable. This is often embedded in a thin-set base and covered with ceramic tile for bathrooms. It provides even and steady room temperatures.