A comparison between the thermal performance of a radiant heating system and a warm air system is presented in this paper. A detailed computer program was used to simulate the transient heat transfer processes occurring in a room heated by these two systems. The results of the analysis show that the radiant heating system is more economical than the warm air system, for a given level of the thermal comfort.

The analysis also indicates that the application of conventional calculation methods to rooms heated by radiant ceiling panels overestimates the heating loads.

Units: SI