I would like to know if an electric or hydronic radiant floor is enough to heat the room or if it's just to have a warm floor. And if yes, what is the efficiency (the time it take to warm the room, the cost on the electrical bill, etc.) compared to an electric baseboard heater.
My question is general to any type of floor but if the answer depends on the type I use, I would say its for my bathroom (12' x 12') with ceramic tiles.
Best Answer
Well it depends on the output of the radiant floor, but in general yes they are sufficient to heat a room.
We have underfloor heating (hot water with heat spreader plates under floorboards) in our upstairs rooms and they warm the rooms quite well. The floors are warm to touch (as would be expected). The temperature of the room is more uniform the heat is rising from all parts of the floor rather than from one section of the wall. We don't feel we need additional sources of heat in the rooms.
The rooms do seem to take a little longer to get warm than other rooms with a radiator, but the wooden floors may contribute to this. If you are heating tiles in a bathroom then I'd expect that to be quicker and as quick as a radiator.
I can't give comparative costs, but our heating bills don't seem excessive when compared to other people's with similar houses.