What Type of Heat Is Needed for a Block Wall Basement?

Electric Radiant Floor Heating

• At its simplest, electric radiant flooring consists of low-voltage electrically conductive plastic mats that produce heat beneath your flooring material. The mats can be installed permanently in thin-set concrete, and they are safe to use under vinyl or ceramic tile, engineered wood flooring, carpeting, rubber exercise mats and many other common flooring materials. These radiant systems produce heat independently of the home's furnace and can be controlled by their own timers and thermostats. Radiant flooring systems efficiently warm floors and anything that comes in contact with the floors, such as feet.

Electric Baseboard Heaters

• Electric baseboard heaters warm basement rooms starting from the concrete block walls and moving inward. These systems come in various lengths that can be permanently wired in place or plugged into existing wall outlets. The more sophisticated baseboard heating units feature built-in thermostats to optimize energy efficiency. Baseboard units can supplement forced-air furnace heat or can be engineered to provide all the necessary heat for basement living areas. Baseboard heaters require more amperage than some radiant flooring systems but are much simpler to install.

Electric Radiant Ceiling Panels

• Lightweight electric radiant ceiling panels fit into conventional T-bar suspended ceiling systems and can serve as the primary heat source or supplement forced air or baseboard heating systems. This technology has been installed in spaces as small as basement bathrooms but also is suitable for heating entire basement rooms. Since the wiring is concealed overhead, there is no need to attach outboard conduit to concrete block walls. As a secondary benefit, the electric heating units offer additional safety when compared to plug-in baseboard systems because they are not vulnerable to basement flooding from seepage or backed-up drains.

Electric Radiant Wall Panels

• There are two common radiant wall systems appropriate for use on block walls. Cove heating units appear similar to baseboard units but they are designed to be permanently anchored to the wall, 4 to 6 inches below the ceiling line. Ceramic convection heaters are typically 24-inch square panels that permanently are anchored to the wall. In both cases, these units transfer warmth to the walls in addition to warming the basement air. Once they have been warmed, the block walls help keep the basement warm long after the heaters have been switched off.