Radiant heat, also known as thermal radiation, is a mechanism for heat transfer that does not require a medium in which it propagates, unlike convection and conduction. Radiant heating and cooling is a category of HVAC technologies that exchange heat by both convection and radiation with the environments they are designed to heat or cool. Radiant heating systems supply heat directly to the floor or to panels in the wall or ceiling of a house, and depend largely on radiant heat transfer, which is the delivery of heat directly from the hot surface to the people and objects in the room via infrared radiation.

Here are some key points about radiant heat:

• Radiant heating is the effect you feel from the warmth of a hot stovetop element from across the room.
• Radiant heating systems are more efficient than baseboard heating and usually more efficient than forced-air heating because they eliminate duct losses.
• Radiant heating systems are discreet, operate quietly with no fan or compressor, and have no impact on indoor air quality.
• There are three types of radiant floor heat: radiant air floors (air is the heat-carrying medium), electric radiant floors, and hot water (hydronic) .
• Radiant panels have the quickest response time of any heating technology and can result in cost and energy savings compared with other systems when rooms are infrequently occupied.

In summary, radiant heat is a type of heating system that uses radiation to heat objects and people in a space, and it is more efficient than other heating systems because it eliminates duct losses.