Can I create a cost-effective system to do this?

thatseattleguy

Help a non-professional here.



I'm putting in a small ( < 300sq ft) mother-in-law (MIL) apartment in my basement. This is on a budget (if I wasn't, I wouldn't be needing the extra rental income from the MIL!) I originally thought to heat the rooms with electric in-wall heaters, but of course that's tacky. :) Then I realized that because I was wanting to move my DHW heater at the same time (to bring it nearer to the plumbing stack), I might be able to combine the two needs...so here's what I ideally want:



A boiler, tankless HWH, or other system that:

- runs on natural gas, direct vent

- can provide DHW for a smaller (1200sqft + MIL, 3BR) house

(I have a 50-gallon standard gas HWH now)

- supplies a small amount of additional hot water to run the radiant heat loop for the MIL

(I'll use baseboard or wall-mounted radiators)

- and of course costs as little as possible :)



Does this product exist? I'm laying out the basement utility room along with the MIL so I have flexibility on location and piping and the like.



thanks!

Jon



PS: This is in Seattle, so heating needs are not huge, and the MIL rooms are going to be very well-insulated.

Unknown

Jon

Some "on-demand" WH have a provision for domestic space heating,,, if the area is not to large it may suit your needs.



This way you can separate the gas heating bills.

NRT_Rob

hm

adding heat exchange to the tank water heater would be better than trying to do small heating with an on demand.



what "cost effective" means depends on your actual heat loads though, not just square footage.

Mark Eatherton

Please define "cost effective"...

And maybe while you are at it, you or someone else can define "cost efficient". Neither of those terms are in my vernacular.

ME