Luxury Warmth and Space-Saving Design for a Tiny Home Living Room in Spruce Grove, AB

This project highlights how Fritz Tiny Homes, a builder specializing in beautiful, intentional living spaces, partnered with WarmlyYours to solve the primary heating challenge in a small, well-insulated home.² By installing a mirror-surface radiant heat panel in the living room, they eliminated the need for bulky heating units, creating a comfortable, energy efficient heating system that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The radiant panel serves as the main heat source, maximizing usable space and adding value to the home.³

Project Details

Location: Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada
Heated Space Type: Tiny Home Living Room
Square Footage: N/A (Radiant Panel used as primary heat source)
Watts, Volts, Amps: 600 W, 120 V, 5 A
Connection: Hardwired
Surface Finish: Mirror
Installer/Customer: Fritz Tiny Homes
Operating Cost Per Hour: $\approx \$0.06$ CAD

The Challenge & The Outcome

Tiny homes, while incredibly efficient and well-insulated, present a unique challenge when it comes to heating: space is at a premium. Traditional forced-air systems are bulky, and baseboard heaters consume valuable wall space.⁴ Fritz Tiny Homes, known for their distilled design and maximizing every square inch, needed a heating solution that was powerful, energy-efficient, and unobtrusive.

The solution was a WarmlyYours Ember Radiant Heating Panel with a mirror surface. Installed on the living room wall, this unique product offers two functions in one: a full-length mirror for the living space and a quiet, powerful source of radiant comfort. The builders, Kevin and Heather Fritz, noted that due to the tiny home's incredibly efficient building envelope, the 600W radiant panel is able to serve as the main heat source for the living area.⁵ This eliminated the need for traditional heating equipment, maintaining the home's clean, minimalist aesthetic and ensuring consistent, comfortable warmth throughout the space.

This use of electric radiant heating is a testament to the system's efficiency and the high-quality construction of the tiny home, providing exceptional floor warming and space heating from an unexpected, yet stylish, source.

Featured Products

WarmlyYours Ember Heating Panel Mirror Hardwired 600W - 35 in. x 24 in., 5.0A (IP-EM-GLS-MIR-0600-HW)

This sleek, hardwired panel provides silent, gentle radiant heat while simultaneously functioning as a full-size mirror.⁶ It is an ideal, space-saving primary or supplemental heating solution for small spaces like tiny homes, bathrooms, or offices.

nHance: Thermostat. Programmable, Class A GFCI, w/Floor Sensor (UDG-4999)

This programmable thermostat ensures the system operates at maximum efficiency. It allows the homeowner to set a comfortable heating schedule, optimizing the use of the radiant heat panel and further reducing the total operating cost.

Project Gallery

Interior of Fritz Tiny Home from kitchen

Interior of Fritz Tiny Home from loft angle

Interior of Fritz Tiny Home radiant panel and owners

Interior of Fritz Tiny Home radiant panel room

Quotes

These quotes are linked to this showcase and include the products used in this project or recommended for a similar-sized project.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can an electric radiant panel replace the main heating system in a tiny home?

Yes, in extremely well-insulated spaces like a tiny home, a properly sized electric radiant heat panel (or a combination of panels and in-floor heating) can often serve as the primary heat source. The effectiveness relies on the home’s tight envelope and minimal heat loss. Radiant heat panels, like the mirror model used here, directly warm objects and occupants, making the space feel warmer at lower air temperatures than traditional forced-air systems.

2. How much does it cost to run a radiant heat panel in a tiny home living room?

The operating cost is exceptionally low due to the small, high-efficiency panel and the excellent insulation of a tiny home. This specific 600W panel costs about $0.06 CAD per hour to run. By utilizing a programmable thermostat, homeowners can minimize runtime to only when heat is needed, ensuring the operating cost remains minimal, often under $15 per month.

3. Is electric radiant heating energy efficient for small spaces?

Absolutely. Electric radiant heating is highly energy efficient for small spaces. Unlike forced-air systems that heat air (which quickly escapes), radiant heat warms surfaces and people directly, creating a deeply satisfying comfort. Furthermore, the system uses 100% of the electricity consumed to generate heat, and when paired with a programmable thermostat, it only consumes energy when actively heating, making it a smart and sustainable choice for modern living.