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Hydronic Heating

What it is

Hydronic heating is the process of using gas, other fuels, or electricity to transfer heat through a pressure vessel, commonly known as a boiler.  The heat is then distributed throughout a building (or multiple buildings) to serve the comfort requirements of individual zones.

How it works

Heated water (or steam) is transported through piping to areas within a building that require heat.  The main advantage is that heat can be generated by boiler(s) with very high efficiency.  Equipment on a scale like this can easily accommodate direct digital control to monitor indoor/outdoor climate conditions and space occupancy in order to trim heating demands to a minimum.  Considering escalating fuel costs, hydronic systems typically offer a useful service lifecycle of 2 to 3 times that of de-centralized designs.

Benefits

• Allows individual climate control zones within a building
• Less expensive to add controls to a single hydronic boiler as opposed to a de-centralized system
• High-efficiency boilers can be less expensive than a comparable number of smaller units which are generally less efficient and require more maintenance
• Comfortable, even temperature control that accommodates all climate conditions.  A properly controlled system will modulate the temperature of the water based on the outdoor temperature (i.e. delivered water is hotter as the exterior temperature gets colder)
• Centralized maintenance.  Centralization also means space consideration within the building is less intrusive and quieter, leaving the space to best serve the occupants