Baseboard Heating

Hydronic Baseboard Heating System


The biggest difference between an electric baseboard heating system and a hydronic system is that a hydronic system warms a room by heating a liquid contained inside the coils. An electrical current still has to pass through the coils, so this type of baseboard heating system will also be hardwired into the circuitry of your home.

​Once the unit has been turned on, the electric current heats a series of coils that contain either oil or water. The hot water or oil then warms a room using radiant heat, which differs from the electric baseboard heating systems which only use convection heat to warm a room. The hydronic system will use your home’s water lines in addition to the electrical, but even so, hydronic systems tend to be much more energy-efficient than exclusively electric systems.

Pros and Cons of Baseboard Heating

Pro’s

You can heat every room individually and generally keep the whole house warmer. Homes heated with a furnace are notorious for cold spots and drafts.

Adding to an existing system is affordable. The individual baseboard heating units are inexpensive, and you can often install them yourself to save even more money

Con’s

In winter, you will continually be using electricity, which will cause your utility bills to jump.

There will be cold spots inside your home. Unless you have the baseboard heating units placed in an incredibly efficient manner there will be cold areas, usually in hallways or seldom-used parts of the home.