There are 2 parts to the radiant floor heating cost. Part 1 is the floor heating system itelf. Part 2 is the boiler and the hydronic heating system.
Most companies provide a cost per sq foot for an average floor heating cost. But did you know in most cases that’s just the cost for the floor heating. It’s easy to work out an average radiant floor heating cost when you are only looking at the floors. But what is used to heat the floors?
In this post we’re going to break down the radiant floor heating cost for you.
You will finally learn the true radiant floor heating cost for your home or building.
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Radiant Floor Heating Cost Part 1
The radiant floor heating system
The radiant floor heating system has to be sized and designed to meet the heating load and the installation requirements for the tubing and manifolds.
There are 2 design packages.
1. The budget design for quoting purposes – free.
2. The permit package for the installation and home permit – starts at $250.00 for a small single floor.
The larger the home or building, and the more complex the system, the fees can range up to $650.00 or more.
Only tubing that is rated for radiant floor heating can be used.
Average cost of the tubing is about $0.65 per sq foot.
* If this is for underfloor heating, we add heat transfer plates to this cost, which is about $5.85 per sq foot.
* If you are adding floor heating over top of existing floor, we add pex rails, at about $0.45 per sq ft.
* If the tubing is for concrete basement or a garage, we need to add insulation, vapour barrier, etc. This cost can average $2.20 per sq ft.
The manifolds can range in price drastically, and can include simple copper pipe with tubing connections, or high efficient manifolds with actuators and valves.
Because we are prejudice with our manifolds, we’re going with the high efficient manifolds. Add an average $1.25 / sq ft to the cost.
For the installation cost, an average cost range can run from $2 per sq ft to $5 per sq ft or more, depending on the type of floor heating system and the complexity of your installation.
Let’s recap, based on 600 sq feet under floor heating.
Radiant design – $325.00
Tubing – $390.00
Heat transfer plates – $3540.00
Manifolds – $750.00
Installation – $1800.00
Your total cost for the radiant floor – $6805.00 (or an average of $11.34 / sq ft)
Radiant Floor Heating Cost Part 2
The boiler and hydronic heating system
Here’s where we must leave the cost per square foot pricing method behind us. You cannot price a boiler system on sq footage.
The boiler is sized based on the heating load required to push the btus through the radiant floor heating system.
For this excercise, we are going to stick with Eco-King boilers and NTI boilers.
Learn more about our boiler installations here.
Eco-king boilers are the simplest installation for smaller systems, and small spaces.
These smaller boilers, include alot of the accessories required inside the boiler itself. That is why these boilers are perfect for small systems.
An average cost for a small heat-only hydronic system, using an eco king boiler is about $6500.00.
The labour installation cost is dependant on too many factors, but an average range would be $3000 – $4000.00
Used for larger robust systems, NTI boiler systems work best.
These hydronic systems require all the necessary components to ensure safe and efficient operations.
An average cost for a heat-only hydronic system, using an NTI boiler can range about $10,000 to $14,000.
The labour installation cost is dependant on too many factors, but an average range would be $5000 – $7000.00
The last cost factor to be considered is the freeze protection glycol.
We are firm believers of freeze protection for all hydronic heating sytems, so we are definetly including this cost.
So here we include the automatic feeder, as well as the glycol itself. An average cost for 600 sq feet can run about $1700.00 (or about $3 / sq ft).
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Let’s recap, based on 600 sq feet under floor heating.
Your total cost for the radiant floor – $6805.00
Your cost for the hydronic boiler system – $9500.00
Add freeze protection glycol – $1700.00
Your total installation cost for a fully functional under floor radiant heating system, using an Eco-King boiler system – $18,000.00 + gst.
Why Cost per Square Foot Does't Work
As you see, we can easly work out a cost per square foot for the radiant floor system.
But as soon as you add the hydronic boiler system, the cost per square foot no longer applies.
Here’s an example:
600 sq ft – $18,000 ($30/ sq ft)
1200 sq ft – $26,600 ($22 / sq ft)
(((11.34 / sq ft x 1200) + 9500) + 3500 for glycol)
2400 sq ft – $48,200 ($20 / sq ft)
(((11.34 / sq ft x 2400) + 15000) + 6000 for glycol)
Now we know what is involved in getting a radiant floor heating cost. Radiant floor heating is an investment in your comfort and in your health.
But don’t forget the other factors of your radiant heating system. For new building installations, a ventilation system is required.
To upgrade from a furnace system to floor heating, we can use your existing furnace for your ventilation requirements.
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Disclaimer:
All prices listed are average costs only, and does not in any way constitute a price quote. Prices may change based on current material costs, individual labour costs, and installation parimeters.
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