ᐅ Underfloor heating and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, replacement of standard radiators

Hi!

In our house planning, a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery is to be installed.
Now I wonder if, instead of conventional radiators, underfloor heating could be used.

- To what extent is underfloor heating compatible with a mechanical ventilation system?
- Do I need to pay attention to any specific heating behavior?

In my opinion, these two things are independent. Heat recovery is more of a marketing gimmick. You can’t really use it to heat your home.

We are installing standard radiators and have a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery, but it is mainly to prevent mold, improve indoor air quality, and filter dust and pollen (both of us are allergy sufferers). Additionally, the KfW requires a mechanical ventilation system. However, it would be possible with or without underfloor heating.

phobos schrieb:
Hi!

In our house plan, a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery is going to be installed.
Now I’m wondering if it’s possible to use underfloor heating instead of the “regular” radiators.

- How compatible is underfloor heating with a mechanical ventilation system?
- Do I need to pay attention to a specific heating behavior?

Hello,

There is no reason against it—in fact, quite the opposite. In new builds nowadays, underfloor heating combined with mechanical ventilation and heat recovery is almost standard. What type of heat generator do you have? With properly installed underfloor heating (tight spacing of the pipes), you are also well prepared for a heat pump in the future. As for mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, we personally wouldn’t want to do without it anymore for comfort reasons, although I’m a bit skeptical about the financial payback over the years.

Best regards...

Cascada schrieb:
In new constructions, underfloor heating combined with controlled residential ventilation/heat recovery is almost considered mandatory nowadays.

Fortunately, only almost....

Der Da schrieb:
Fortunately, only almost....

Yes, that’s true... – almost...

When making our decision, we relied on forum posts and had friends who built homes with controlled ventilation and heat recovery two years ago. Overall, the feedback tends to be positive towards controlled ventilation with heat recovery. On the other hand, over 6000 (in our currency) is quite a substantial amount. Retrofitting it in a few years would be very complex – and expensive.

Best regards...

The bb offers a gas boiler. Since I am still put off by the prices and potentially high running costs of a heat pump, I will stick with gas for now. Maybe a heat pump will become more attractive at some point.

How is it with underfloor heating? I once read that underfloor heating should be kept running constantly in winter because it responds slowly. Is that correct? Does this also apply to KfW xx houses?