Question of the Day

CMadatMe

This doesn't come from me....This is a convernsation that I overheard at the counter this morning between a contractor and my counter guy. Of course I had to share.



A residential homes heat loss is different if you heat with forced hot air vs baseboard?

You know my anwser....No!....But there's.....Yes.....Care to comment so I can share this anwser with my counter guy and contractor...They are adminant that is is. I tried to tell them you can't change a homes heat loss it is what it is.

When I chirpped in they were saying that you need a 100,000 btu furnance (not boiler) to heat a 2,000 sqft house. I stated that the average heat loss of a home that sq footage is between 40,000 and 50,000 btus and a furnace that big is oversized. I even offered to do a heat loss to show them....They both said I was nuts....Contractor stated it would never heat the house at -10 below. I then said ok..So I;ll design for a -10 day and I bet the loss is still only 70,00 max. They both still looked at me like I was nuts...Why?  Because of the question above...

Jean-David Beyer

A residential homes heat loss is different if you heat with forced hot air vs baseboard?

I believe they are different, with forced air requiring slightly more heat, though usually not enough different to require a different size heat source.



I believe the additional air pressure in the house with forced air will cause more heat loss through leaks than will a radiant or baseboard heating system. Depending on how leaky the building is, this could be significant.