Radiant Ceilings – Heating and Cooling with a Single System

Radiant ceilings ensure a comfortable indoor climate all year round. In summer, ceiling cooling with chilled water provides a uniform temperature reduction without the disruptive effects of air conditioning, such as cold air circulation and noise. In the cold months, ceiling heating with warm water provides optimum heat distribution throughout the room with comparatively low energy consumption. 

Implementing ceiling heating and cooling in one system reduces investment and operating costs. The absence of radiators provides additional architectural freedom.

Installation of a radiant ceiling with capillary tube mats in the video

Benefits of Heating-Cooling Ceilings

  • Heating and cooling with one system
  • Highest possible proportion of radiant heat
  • Even heat distribution, high thermal comfort
  • Low air circulation, healthy room climate
  • Room design without radiators
  • Low energy costs

Warm feet - because ceiling heating radiates

On cool days, the warmth of the sun is perceived as very pleasant and direct. The radiant heat from a hydronic radiant ceiling heating system acts on people and the room in a similar way. Objects in the room and all surfaces surrounding the room are evenly heated by the radiant heat from the ceiling heating. The perceived temperature is higher than the actual room temperature.

As the floor is thermally insulated, the radiant heat from the ceiling is also absorbed by the floor. As a result, the floor surface is also slightly warmer than the average room temperature. This means there is no need to worry about cold feet when you have radiant ceiling heating.

Because the surface temperature of the ceiling heating is only slightly above the room temperature, there is no noticeable thermic effect. The room is not heated by rising warm air. The temperature is controlled almost exclusively by uniform radiant heat from above.

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Thermal Distribution Radiant Ceiling Heat

Chilled ceilings – cooling without a cold

Chilled ceilings set standards in terms of climate comfort and thermal control. This leads to a high level of acceptance and satisfaction among room users. Room cooling without unpleasant draughts and the stirring up of allergens is convincing more and more hospitals to install a water-bearing ceiling cooling system.

From a medical point of view, we consider it very important for our patients to have draught-free, uniform thermal room conditioning.
Thomas Höhn, Administrative Director, German Heart Centre, Berlin (DHZB)

Due to the large heat exchanger surface, chilled ceiling systems achieve sufficient cooling capacity even at a cold water temperature that is only slightly below room temperature. Because the perceived temperature is also below the measured room temperature, radiant cooling from the ceiling is extremely energy-efficient and works well with heat pumps. The risk of condensation forming on the radiant ceiling is reliably and safely counteracted by limiting the flow temperature and by conditioning the fresh air.

Combined with a ventilation system to condition the air in the room, ceiling cooling works optimally from a thermal physiology point of view. It also provides the hygienically necessary air renewal. For this reason, radiant ceiling technology has been used for many years as an energy-efficient method of removing the dry cooling load.

Radiant ceiling technologies

In order to meet the different project sizes and requirements, BEKA offers three technologies for water-bearing heated-chilled ceilings and manufactures the necessary components for them: 1) capillary tube mats for the thermal activation of plaster ceilings, metal cassette or plasterboard ceilings 2) copper pipe meander for metal cassettes or drywall ceilings 3) single pipe technology for plasterboard ceilings or plastered cooling ceilings

From the field: Ceiling heating & cooling in a single family home

 

Energy-efficient radiant heating and cost-effective construction do not have to be a contradiction. You can see the implementation of ceiling heating and cooling in a single-family home in combination with a heat pump and photovoltaic system in the show home of Bau- und Ausbau GmbH Zahna in Berlin Staaken.

Detailed project brochure of the show home with ceiling heating