Heating recommendation for Jackson, WY

Be aware that you could get significant solar heat gain. Best to design with that in mind i.e. window placement and area (total sq.ft) and house orientation, shading etc. This gain would affect the inside temps esp. during shoulder seasons (spring and fall). If your only heat is the radiant floor, that can only be moderated (up or down) very slowly. Solar gain happens fairly quickly. Kudos for including HRV/ERV.

as well as:

Annual maintenance

Emergency service when something doesn’t work

Away monitoring

I agree with hydronic radiant heat as your primary heat source.

I also agree with insulating under the slab and the inner edge of the footings with at least two inch thick foam. Try to keep the radiant tubing above the center of the slab, not the bottom. Your heat loss numbers look great for a 2500 square two story structure with a design temperature of -35F. I am guessing you are using at least 2x6 walls filled with insulation and high end windows. You may need an additional source of heat if there are a lot of windows. You could add radiant ceilings as well or add a few panel radiators as suggested above.

What will be your fuel source? How reliable is your electric power in your area? With those potential bitter cold temps you might want to consider a back up generator and/or a back up heat source.

On another note, your building a house in my favorite area of the United States. Say hello to Hoback (famous moose) and the rest of all that wildlife in your area.

I always did 6" O.C. because I didn't want ANY chance of a cold spot. Mad Dog

Speaking as a homeowner,

The off gassing of oriented strand board wood byproduct sheeting, plywood and glue laminated lumber products is a well known issue and a cause for concern because of their ease in combustion.

A top fed steam system uses dry steam to heat the entire home at very low pressure, the garage could be heated with a dry steam fed heat exchanger fan from one wall of the garage.

A top fed gravity hot water radiator heating system is piped the same way with a single riser connected to the radiators in the same manner feeding the top floor radiators and then the first floor radiators from the bottom tapping's of the second floor radiators. The cool water returns drain to a common cool water return header pipe connected to the boiler sump.

A gravity fed overhead heating system requires an open to air expansion tank in the attic that can drain into a laundry sink or floor drain. The open to air expansion tank is heated by either a radiator in the attic or piping it using a U connection to the base of the expansion tank allowing the hot water coming from the single riser to rise into the tank more quickly as it flows.

In the case of an overhead steam system, the boiler would feed the dry steam to the attic with one riser ending with an elbow feeding a header pipe the length of the attic that would have take offs that feed dry steam to the radiators on the second floor using tees or crosses with dry steam piping reaching the width of the attic and then dropping to the second floor radiators which are in turn connected to the radiators on the first floor and the garage.

The header pipe in the attic would be covered with a thick blanket of batt insulation to reduce heat loss to a minimum

Using 6 inch+ thick batt insulation, rock wool or blown in cellulose for the home would be healthier.

Studies have found that new houses can be made too tight and as a result they do not have adequate air exchange rates.

I would want every piece of stick lumber or sheet to be coated with at least three coats of fire resistant latex paint before a nail or screw is driven into it.

The above are thoughts from a homeowner who has lived through a house fire.

WB is a structural panel, so it takes some cost out of the framing floor sheathing. It is $$ and very heavy to work with, shipping can be costly. Let the framers know if you go that direction. They tend to get tweaked if it shows up without notice.

It does a nice job of spreading the temperature across the floor with the heavy gauge aluminum top layer. Most any floor covering can go over it, it usually runs low temperature unless you add carpet and pad over it.

Certainly worth pricing out as an option.

The chances of finding some one in that area that could design and install a residential steam system properly would be very rare, IMO. Possibly find some steam guys in Idaho Falls as the closest "big" city. Probably some commercial shops in I.F. that maintain the Arco Nuke site may have steam experience.

Hello,

I see you got some advice from Hot Rod! He is an expert when it comes to hydronic heating. I had the pleasure of attending a training with him years ago in MT. I now live and work in Jackson doing all types of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing installs. We specialize in design and installation of conventional and geothermal based heating systems. Your welcome to email me directly to talk about options for your project. I am also happy to have you come to my office if you would like to go over plans and options. vlovejoy@energy-1.net