What is Slab Heating (Heat Loss prevention)? Simply put it is a way to combat losing heat from areas that have non-heated spaces below or above them. Effective in or on heat loss prevention allows for greatly reducing heat loss and lowers overall heating costs for various spaces. Heat loss prevention is very prevalent in commercial and industrial applications, preventing heat loss can be applied in several environments. Slab heating is accomplished one of two ways:
- In-slab: Cozy Heat cable is laid at the specified spacing on the prepared base and concrete is poured over the top. The cable is permanently embedded in the slab and heats the concrete from within.
- On-slab: Cozy Heat cable is adhered to the underside of an existing concrete slab using heavy-duty aluminum tape and mechanical fasteners. The cable heats the slab from below — no disruption to the floor surface above, and no new concrete pour required. This method is used when access to the underside of an existing slab is available in a basement, crawlspace, or mechanical room.
Effective slab heating targets 3 to 15 watts per square foot of slab surface, depending on slab thickness, insulation values, and the heat loss characteristics of the space. Heatizon works with the specifications provided from project engineers to ensure the correct watt density for each project.
The Cozy Heat system is also used for general radiant space heating.
About The Technology Behind Slab Heating
Heatizon recommends the Cozy Heat system, which uses two different technologies: Mineral Insulated or Self-Regulating cables. The MI fixed-length variant (11.5–20 watts per lineal foot, constant wattage) is specified for large commercial and industrial slab heating where maximum, consistent output is required. The self-regulating variant (5,9,12 watts per lineal foot) adjusts its output automatically and is suited to smaller areas, retrofits, and applications where the lower maximum output is sufficient for the space’s heat loss rate. Ideally heat loss prevention looks to accomplish anywhere between 3 – 15 watts per square foot. Either cable technology can accomplish outputs within or near these ranges. Determining which cable to use is depending on several factors that can be discussed with your design representative from a distributor or Heatizon.
Longevity and Reliability
The Cozy Heat system is backed by Heatizon’s amazing customer support and an industry-leading 10-year warranty. Cozy Heat systems can be controlled by a programmable thermostat for individual zone control, or by a relay panel managing multiple circuits simultaneously across larger slab areas. Heatizon provides technical design assistance and unlimited post-commissioning support with every system.
Cozy Heat is ETL listed by Intertek for the United States and Canada — the same listing that covers Heatizon’s full MI cable product line.