Performance evaluation of radiant baseboards (skirtings) for room heating – An analytical and experimental approach

• Thermal performance of radiant baseboards (RBs) used for space heating was analyzed.
• The proposed heat output equation can be used with confidence for RBs heaters.
• The heat transfer ability of RBs was 50% higher than that of panel radiators.
• The heat emission from RBs increased by roughly 2.1% per centimeter of height.
• The RBs of maximum height should be used for water supply temperatures below 45 °C.

The aim of this study was to investigate the thermal performance of the hydronic radiant baseboards currently used for space heating in built environments. The presently available equations for determination of heat outputs from these room heaters are valid for a certain height at a specific temperature range. This limitation needed to be addressed as radiant baseboards may be both energy and cost efficient option for space heating in the future. The main goal of this study was therefore to design an equation valid for all baseboard heights (100–200 mm) and excess temperatures (9–60 °C) usually used in built environments.The proposed equation was created by curve fitting using the standard method of least squares together with data from previous laboratory measurements. It was shown that the predictions by the proposed equation were in close agreement with reported experimental data. Besides, it was also revealed that the mean heat transfer coefficient of the investigated radiant baseboards was about 50% higher than the mean heat transfer coefficient of five conventional panel radiators of different types.The proposed equation can easily be used or programed in energy simulation codes. Hopefully this will help engineers to quantify more accurately the energy consumption for space heating in buildings served by radiant baseboards.