Radiant stretch ceiling installed in La Rochelle

The climate of the Atlantic coast

In La Rochelle the winter is mild but damp, and it is the damp that governs the feeling of cold. Air loaded with water conducts body heat better, so a room at nineteen degrees feels cooler there than elsewhere at the same temperature.

What radiation changes in that context

A radiant emitter warms the walls before the air. Warmer walls mean less surface condensation and a relative humidity that comes back down, which improves perceived comfort without raising the thermostat.

The absence of air movement

A convection system stirs the room and moves dust and spores about. The radiant ceiling moves none, which counts in a region where homes stay closed up for long periods out of season.

The case of second homes

On the coast many homes stand empty for part of the year. Radiation, which heats surfaces directly, makes a house comfortable faster than a system that must first warm the whole volume of air.

The local installer

This job was carried out by a professional trained on the system, which remains the condition of a compliant result. The list of points to check beforehand is short, but none of them can be put right once the fabric is tensioned.

What to look at in an older coastal home

The state of the existing ceiling, whether there is a roof void, and above all the ventilation. A radiant ceiling clearly improves the feeling of damp but does not replace failing ventilation, and an honest diagnosis is worth more than a promise that will not hold through the first season.

The company is presented on the Ouest Plafond page, and the method on the fitting technique.