Radiant Panels

What do radiant panels do?

Radiant panels pass temperature regulated water through pipes to regulate temperature of classrooms and laboratories instead of primarily using forced air systems with ductwork to circulate air.

In the winter, valves allow hot water supplied by the boiler to circulate through radiant heating coils located in panels suspended from the ceiling of each floor. In the summer, spaces are cooled when valves connected to the chiller allow cool water to circulate through radiant coils.

How are radiant panels energy efficient?

Using radiant panels is more energy efficient than traditional HVAC systems because water was a much higher heat capacity than air. Therefore, less energy is needed to change the temperature of the water than of traditional air systems. Additionally, the piping system uses pumps to circulate the fluid which uses less energy than the fans used to circulate air through ductwork.

Radiant panels also allow 41CS to save headroom space in the building since coils take up lesss volume than ductwork and there are no uncomfortable drafts since less air is blown directly on occupants.