Is Radiant Floor Heating an Option?

nukeman

Hello,



I’m just beginning the process of building a new house. I have been researching radiant floor heating and the benefits sound appealing but I wanted some opinions before I commit.



My research started at two websites (curiously both based in Vermont) that are geared towards the do-it-yourselfer. They would take my floor plans, design a system, give advice for components, and provide installation instructions. Based on just a little bit of reading at this site, these types of internet companies are not looked too highly upon. These two sites recommend an “open” system that incorporates a Polaris water heater for both the radiant floor and the domestic hot water. I’m gathering that this isn’t recommended here either.



So, I was hoping to provide all the factors and get some opinions on if I should proceed.

<ol><li>I live in rural, Eastern Central Kansas and the house will be 1800sqft ranch, with a walkout basement.

</li><li>9ft ceilings upstairs and down

</li><li>Tile and hardwood flooring. Maybe carpet in the bedrooms

</li><li>We’ll have propane, no natural gas

</li><li>We have pretty big temperature swings in Kansas. Today there’s a -11F wind chill and it can be over 100F in the summers.

</li><li>The person doing the HVAC work will also do the plumbing. He’s pretty “old school” and isn’t familiar with radiant heat.

</li><li>However, my builder/general contractor is open to the idea, especially if there were instructions for him to follow.

</li><li>We have limited options for contractors in my area. Long term service would be an issue. A search on the “find a contractor” page found one company within 250 miles and they don’t seem to specialize in radiant heat. A simple Google search for some, but they’re over an hour away

</li><li>The HVAC guy will expect to install a forced air heating and a/c unit. Does installing radiant heat even make sense if we’ll have a forced air system? It’s my understanding that it wouldn’t make sense to install an a/c only unit. Adding heating isn’t that expensive. Is that correct?

</li><li>Since this is new construction we’ll have the ability to do all the prep work like insulation

</li><li>The closed system will probably be better for me so the plumber can install/service the domestic hot water heater he’s comfortable with

</li><li>I read somewhere that installing radiant heat in the basement slab was enough to effectively heat the whole house. Is that even reasonable?

</li></ol>



Is radiant heating even something I should be considering? Thanks for the help.

hot_rod

In Kansas

City there are some good designers and installers. At the very least i would suggest you start with a qualified designer.



With a good design and a willing contractor you should end up with a comfortable, efficient system.



Remember in your climate cooling and air quality are critical, find a contractor that knows how to blend and control that.

SWEI

Energy costs

Given that you are on LPG and not NG, I would take a good look at the relative costs of your energy sources before you get a while lot further http://www.eia.gov/neic/experts/heatcalc.xls will help (once you update appliance efficiencies and fuel costs.)  You can assume 95% for a good mod/con boiler.



In your climate, an air source heat pump might make a lot of sense.  It will allow your radiant system to take care of the sensible portion of your cooling load, which will allow both the ductwork and the air handler to be a fraction of the size they would for a standard A/C job.  A good designer is CRITICAL for radiant, especially when paired with chilled air -- and worth every penny.



Oh, and a radiant basement floor will not heat the entire house.

nukeman

Kansas City Options

Do you have any specific recommendations in the Kansas City area? Is there a better way to find a designer than just a yellow pages search?

nukeman

Thanks for that spreadsheet

I've been looking for something to compare energy sources/prices.