Radiant heat in homes is usually installed under the floor but it can be installed in the ceilings as well. It is common for each room to have its own thermostat which is great for saving energy as you can easily heat just the rooms you are going to use rather than the whole house.
Radiant floor heat works better than radiant heat in the ceiling. If you are thinking about ceiling ideas for your home, radiant heat should not be one of them. This is because heat rises and can more easily heat a room if the heat is rising throughout it. If the heat starts from the ceiling, it never has any chance to heat the room. Heat also feels better beneath your feet rather than above your head. If a contractor wants to put radiant heat in your ceilings, make sure you ask him specifically why the floor is not a better choice. If you do want it installed in your floors, stand firm in your decision and don't let him talk you out of it.
Electric radient heat is the most common type of heat and your contractor may recommend installing it in your plaster ceilings or by using ceiling panels that come from the factory with heating cables embedded in them. Many people complain that radiant ceiling heat is not comfortable and that it does not heat the rooms to well. This is why you should start by finding out whether radiant floor heat is practical to install in your situation and not the ceiling heat.
Avoid Radiant Ceiling Heat
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"Heat" doesn't rise. Warm air rises (in a surrounding volume of cooler air). More formally known as convection, this is one of three mechanisms for heat transfer.
A second is conduction. Put your hand on a hot surface or stand on an warm floor and you will experience heat transfer by conduction.
The third is radiation. The sun, heat lamps, and any other radiant source including floors and ceilings all emit infrared radiation, even in a vacuum. This process is not directional - a radiant ceiling radiates down just as well as a radiant floor radiates up (assuming the floor hasn't been covered with carpet or other covering that impedes the process, in which case the ceiling works better...).
I have radiant ceiling heat in my house, and I also have radiant floor heat too. The areas where the ceiling heat is gives you the sensation of sunshine, the natural warmth of the sun coming down...
What is the primary consideration in any application is a heat loss calculation.
In living spaces, there are obstacles to floor heat, such as furniture, cabinets and others. Utilizing ceiling heat gives you wider unobstructed surface from which to radiate your heat.
It all goes back to the heat loss AND also working with a qualified installer and a reputable manufacturer.
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