Luxury Comfort for a Spacious Basement Media Room in Chicago, IL

This project transformed a large, cold concrete basement in Chicago, IL, into a luxurious, warm media room—a perfect retreat for family and guests. Basements are notoriously chilly, especially under resilient flooring, so the homeowner sought a high-performance electric radiant floor heating solution. By installing the high-efficiency TempZone™ Cable system with insulating CeraZorb® underlayment beneath the Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT), WarmlyYours delivered silent, energy-efficient, and superior comfort, significantly increasing the value and usability of the 432 sq. ft. space.

Project Details

Location: Chicago, IL
Heated Space Type: Recreation/Media Room (Basement)
Square Footage (Heated): 432 sq. ft.
System Power: 6472 Watts, 240 Volts, 27 Amps
Flooring Over System: Resilients, Vinyl and Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT)
Operating Cost Per Hour: $0.22
Products Used: TempZone™ Floor Heating Cable, CeraZorb® Insulating Underlayment, nSpire Touch WiFi Thermostat, nJoin Power Module.

Basement Recreation Room Upgrade

The challenge for this Chicago homeowner was a large, underutilized basement. A concrete subfloor meant the new luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring for the media room would be unpleasantly cold, discouraging its use, especially during the long Midwestern winters. They needed a powerful, yet energy-efficient heating system that could serve as the primary source of floor warming for the massive 432 sq. ft. area.

WarmlyYours's solution was the TempZone™ Cable system, installed at a tight 3.0-inch spacing for maximum heat output and quick response time. Crucially, the system was installed over CeraZorb® https://www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/floor-heating/underlaymentdirectly on the concrete slab. This critical step prevents heat loss downward into the concrete, forcing all the radiant heat upward into the LVT floor and ensuring the room heats up quickly and efficiently.¹ The homeowner now enjoys a perfectly temperature-controlled, luxurious media room, transforming a cold basement into the warmest space in the house.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much does it cost to run heated floors in a large Chicago basement?

The operating cost for a large electric radiant floor heating system, like this 432 sq. ft. unit in Chicago, can be as low as $0.22 per hour on average. This is achieved through the use of an insulating layer (CeraZorb®) and a programmable Wi-Fi thermostat, which ensures the system only runs when needed. Electric floor warming is typically more energy efficient than forced-air systems for localized heating

2. Can TempZone™ radiant floor heating replace the main heating system in a Chicago basement media room?

Yes, for a well-insulated space like a finished basement, a properly calculated TempZone™ Cable system can serve as the primary heat source. With 6472 Watts of power, this system is designed for full coverage (primary heat), providing more than enough heat to offset the room’s heat loss and maintain a comfortable temperature, especially on a cold concrete sub-floor.

3. What type of flooring works best with the TempZone™ Cable system in a basement?

The TempZone™ Cable system is highly compatible with Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT), as seen in this Chicago project. LVT, resilient vinyl, and other thin, conductive flooring materials transfer the in-floor heating very effectively. The system should always be installed over an insulating underlayment, like CeraZorb®, when placed on a concrete slab to ensure optimal performance.

4. Is electric radiant floor heating energy efficient compared to other systems?

Yes, electric floor heating is an excellent example of energy efficient heating. It directly warms people and objects (radiant heat) rather than the air (convection heat), which minimizes heat loss. Furthermore, precise zone control via a smart thermostat allows the homeowner to only heat the recreation/media room when it's in use, saving energy compared to heating the entire house.