ᐅ Climate Ceiling vs. Underfloor Heating

April2013 schrieb:
Hello,
You mentioned option 5 regarding the drywall installation. Do you already have experience with this? We are building with bricks but want to keep the wooden roof structure because of the exposed beams, etc.

Hi, no, I don’t have personal experience with that. It was briefly discussed during our planning phase because we weren’t sure if the upper floor should have a solid ceiling. After deciding against that, the topic was dropped.
A few years ago, there was a segment on a TV show called "Einfach genial" (Simply Brilliant), which might still be available online somewhere. It also covered drywall systems like this.
It’s not rocket science, basically there are special drywall profiles with grooves where you can clip in the heating pipes.

April2013 schrieb:

We would install underfloor heating in the bathroom. In the other rooms, we’d like to have a chilled ceiling (KD).

KD = chilled ceiling?

April2013 schrieb:

Is the feeling of warmth different in rooms with very high ceilings? They say hot air rises, and we won’t be installing any walls above the first floor, so some rooms will have ceiling heights of almost 4 meters (13 feet).

Well – the feeling is certainly different because the further you are from the heat source, the less radiant heat you will absorb, in my opinion.
We have about 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in) ceiling height on the ground floor and 2.42 m (7 ft 11 in) on the upper floor. That works well as I mentioned. Whether you can compensate with higher supply temperatures to build the system for higher ceilings, I can’t say.
A neighbor installed a similar system with the pipes embedded in the brick ceiling and needed higher supply temperatures because his home has worse insulation, but he has very high ceilings upstairs (basically a shed roof with solid brick ceilings). Nobody froze there in winter, but I don’t have direct experience with that.

April2013 schrieb:

Can you install the chilled ceiling yourself, or is it as easy as installing underfloor heating?

I really can’t tell you; it depends on your skills.
I always think there must be a reason why most craftsmen train for 3 to 3.5 years. You can certainly make mistakes, and I’d want to avoid that in my own house. Also, saving money by just “clicking” the heating pipes in yourself might be questionable.

April2013 schrieb:

What differentiates the various suppliers? Is there anything special to look out for? What material should the pipes be made of? Plastic? Aluminum?

No idea. I didn’t do any market research back then. The ceilings came from the same brickworks that supplied the insulation bricks – it was simply easier for the shell builder to organize.

April2013 schrieb:

We won’t have a heat pump; is there still any way to use the cooling function?

You can definitely have a cooling circuit installed with a small split air conditioner. It’s important to have this professionally designed and not just hire a random contractor to “do the heating.” For that, there are building services planners or mechanical engineers – though they only work for a fee.
It all starts with a heating load calculation, which also defines the cooling load, and with that knowledge, the system can be properly designed.

April2013 schrieb:

Is the system even cost-effective without the cooling function? And are there extra costs compared to underfloor heating?

What do you mean by cost-effective? You invest money and get a warm home. You’ll get that regardless of the system you choose.
Whether one system causes higher costs and if these are worth it, you’ll have to decide by doing calculations or getting bids.

In your case, because of your heating choice, you will also have to purchase a cooling unit with the associated piping. That won’t be cheap. Very roughly, I’d expect the system components to start at about 3,000 to 4,000 EUR (converted accordingly) minimum, plus around 20 to 30 EUR per square meter (10.8 to 14.0 sq ft) of cooled surface area.
How this all works with your plan to have exposed beams in the upper floor is another matter...
You can also use the cooling function with underfloor heating, but its efficiency is a bit different because you need to create some convection; otherwise, you end up with “cold spots” and heat building up under the ceiling in summer.

Regards
karliseppel

hello karliseppel,

I have another question ...
With underfloor heating at a supply temperature of 35°C (95°F), the floor is relatively warm, so children can comfortably play on it. With a chilled ceiling, the floor temperature is probably only around 23°C to 25°C (73°F to 77°F), right? That is obviously not ideal for children because they might get sick more often ...!?!?
Do you have any experience with this or what is your opinion?

Thanks again in advance
Regards
graebsch

So I want to ask:
What type of heating system did the house have during your childhood (probably high-temperature convectors),
and how warm was the floor? How often did you get sick there...?

...and how warm is the air you move around in?

Also: The 35°C (95°F) supply temperature for underfloor heating is the design temperature—that is, the temperature calculated for the coldest expected outdoor conditions... normally, in a well-insulated modern house, underfloor heating rarely operates above 30°C (86°F) supply temperature. How much of that actually reaches the surface is a different matter.

Regarding your concern about the floor being "too cold"—this is not entirely unfounded, especially with highly heat-conductive substrates. For tiled floors, I would tend to recommend (in addition) underfloor heating.

Thank you for your quick response!

Yes, you’re right, we had the classic radiators under the windows before. The difference was that there used to be more carpets around, and playing on a carpet is never an issue.

However, in the living room and dining room, we will have hardwood floors, and we don’t plan to use any carpets there. So, there is definitely a difference between then and now.

For the natural stone floors in the hallway, bathroom, and between the kitchen counter and island, we will probably install underfloor heating. The question is whether the climate ceiling in the living room, bedroom, kids’ room, etc., where we have hardwood floors, will be sufficient, or if we should also install underfloor heating there.

Best regards,
graebsch

Hi,
well, whether it’s sufficient is determined by the design and the building’s heating energy demand. Both are calculated accordingly. We have parquet flooring in all the children’s rooms and bedrooms, and the heat only comes from above – I have never felt cold on the floor. Not even last winter with outside temperatures below -20°C (-4°F).
Do you have the option to "test feel" this somewhere first? If necessary, the ceiling manufacturer might be able to refer a homeowner in your area.

Our architect is arranging an appointment for me to visit a house with a climate ceiling nearby. By the way, it would be a brick climate ceiling from Staudacher Ziegel ... is it the same one by any chance?