Hydronics (from Ancient Greek hydro- 'water') is the use of liquid water or gaseous water (steam) or a water solution (usually glycol with water) as a heat-transfer medium in heating and cooling systems. The name differentiates such systems from oil and refrigerant systems.

Historically, in large-scale commercial buildings such as high-rise and campus facilities, a hydronic system may include both a chilled and a heated water loop, to provide for both heating and air conditioning. Chillers and cooling towers are used either separately or together as means to provide water cooling, while boilers heat water. A recent innovation is the chiller boiler system, which provides an efficient form of HVAC for homes and smaller commercial spaces.

Many larger cities have a district heating system that provides, through underground piping, publicly available high temperature hot water and chilled water. A building in the service district may be connected to these on payment of a service fee.

Hydronic systems can include the following kinds of distributions:

Hydronic systems are further classified in five ways:

Hydronic systems may be divided into several general piping arrangement categories:

In the oldest modern hydronic heating technology, a single-pipe steam system delivers steam to the radiators where the steam gives up its heat and is condensed back to water. The radiators and steam supply pipes are pitched so that gravity eventually takes this condensate back down through the steam supply piping to the boiler where it can once again be turned into steam and returned to the radiators.

Despite its name, a radiator does not primarily heat a room by radiation. If positioned correctly a radiator will create an air convection current in the room, which will provide the main heat transfer mechanism. It is generally agreed that for the best results a steam radiator should be no more than one to two inches (2.5 to 5cm) from a wall.