[Nevermore]

I'm an electrical engineer, not a physicist, but if it's not radiation then it's conduction. It is possible to have a fairly well directed EM field, but if it's not tightly directed then it is bathing the area in EM fields - even if it's the "non-radiative" kind, and even if the bodies or other devices in the field are not the intended energy sink. Controlling all that - avoiding unintended consequences - without a tightly directed field would be big problem.
I guess that there really is one other alternative to conduction or radiation, analogous to thermal convection, and that would be an electron beam. Any takers for that in their home?

[LexBaird]

I was always taught that anything that originated at a source and propagated outward was said to "radiate". Even if closely focused, I don't see how projecting energy though space can be anything but "radiation".

It seems the author wants to avoid the association with radioactivity that the word "radiation' has, which freaks out the luddites over things such as irradiated food.

[nh1]

To use the electron beam over a distance of more than a few inches wouldn't it have to be extremely high energy resulting in some bothersome xrays. Or... would you pull a vacuum so that the electrons could travel further.

I'm not sure which I would prefer, a lead suit or a space suit. I think I may stick to an extension cord for now.