A dynamic model of a radiant floor heating (RFH) system useful for control analysis is developed. The overall model consists of a boiler, distribution system, an embedded tube floor slab and building enclosure. The overall model is described by non-linear differential equations which were solved using finite numerical methods. Two control strategies for improving the temperature regulation in RFH systems are proposed. These are: a multistage on-off control and an augmented constant gain control (ACGC). Simulation results show that the multistage control maintains zone air temperature close to the setpoint better than the existing on-off control scheme does. Likewise, ACGC gives good zone temperature control compared to the classical proportional control. The ACGC is shown to be robust to changes in weather conditions and internal heat gains. The advantage of the control strategies proposed is that they eliminate the use of outdoor temperature sensors required in some existing control schemes. Being simple and robust, the proposed control schemes are good candidate controls for RFH systems. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.