Hello everyone,
How well can underfloor heating systems be controlled nowadays?
It is said that it is even possible to regulate them by individual rooms.
If I imagine a single-family house with underfloor heating in the basement, ground floor, and upper floor, is it really possible to control the temperature properly today?
For example, can I set the basement to 19°C (66°F); the kitchen and living room on the ground floor to 21°C (70°F); the hallway, guest bathroom, and study on the ground floor to 20°C (68°F); and on the upper floor, the children's rooms to 21°C (70°F), the bathroom to 23°C (73°F), and the bedroom to 18°C (64°F)?
Is this theoretically possible, and does it work in practice?
I ask because I currently live in an apartment in a multi-family building, and our underfloor heating cannot be controlled properly at all, even though there are sensors and controllers in every room. The building was constructed in 2000 and has underfloor heating in every room except the bedrooms and children's rooms, where conventional radiators are installed. In our case, the underfloor heating is only in the bathroom and living room an – then the temperature in the bathroom and living room is 24°C (75°F) (in the other rooms, a comfortable 20–21°C (68–70°F)) or off, when it is only 19°C (66°F), which is too cold for us. There are no settings in between. We currently only have the underfloor heating on in the bathroom and living room; we do not heat the other rooms.
The heating company has visited several times, but the control still does not work better.
How well can underfloor heating systems be controlled nowadays?
It is said that it is even possible to regulate them by individual rooms.
If I imagine a single-family house with underfloor heating in the basement, ground floor, and upper floor, is it really possible to control the temperature properly today?
For example, can I set the basement to 19°C (66°F); the kitchen and living room on the ground floor to 21°C (70°F); the hallway, guest bathroom, and study on the ground floor to 20°C (68°F); and on the upper floor, the children's rooms to 21°C (70°F), the bathroom to 23°C (73°F), and the bedroom to 18°C (64°F)?
Is this theoretically possible, and does it work in practice?
I ask because I currently live in an apartment in a multi-family building, and our underfloor heating cannot be controlled properly at all, even though there are sensors and controllers in every room. The building was constructed in 2000 and has underfloor heating in every room except the bedrooms and children's rooms, where conventional radiators are installed. In our case, the underfloor heating is only in the bathroom and living room an – then the temperature in the bathroom and living room is 24°C (75°F) (in the other rooms, a comfortable 20–21°C (68–70°F)) or off, when it is only 19°C (66°F), which is too cold for us. There are no settings in between. We currently only have the underfloor heating on in the bathroom and living room; we do not heat the other rooms.
The heating company has visited several times, but the control still does not work better.
B
Bauexperte4 Mar 2014 11:59Hello,
Not just apparently, it actually works.
You can, if a heat load calculation is done in advance that accounts for the different temperatures per room. If a uniform 21°C (70°F) is assumed, it might be acceptable in one room but too cold in another.
14 years represent almost an era of development in underfloor heating. On the other hand, I could imagine that – besides the different heating systems, radiators and underfloor heating – part of the problem lies in your heating behavior, which is why it isn’t working correctly. Heating only 2 rooms may confuse the system.
Underfloor heating is still somewhat slow to respond but no comparison to systems from 2000. So in a new build, you set the rooms to the desired temperature and leave the controller alone. Because the system adjusts to the outdoor temperature, the underfloor heating basically controls itself and the sensation of slowness doesn’t even come up.
Best regards, Bauexperte
Panama17 schrieb:
How well can underfloor heating systems be controlled nowadays?
Apparently, it can even work on a room-by-room basis.
Not just apparently, it actually works.
Panama17 schrieb:
If I imagine a single-family house with underfloor heating in the basement, ground floor, and upper floor... is it really possible to control the temperature properly today?
Can I, for example, set 19°C (66°F) in the basement; 21°C (70°F) in the kitchen and living room on the ground floor; 20°C (68°F) in the hallway, guest bathroom, and study on the ground floor; and on the upper floor, 21°C (70°F) in the children’s rooms, 23°C (73°F) in the bathroom, and 18°C (64°F) in the bedroom?
Is that theoretically possible or does it work in practice as well?
You can, if a heat load calculation is done in advance that accounts for the different temperatures per room. If a uniform 21°C (70°F) is assumed, it might be acceptable in one room but too cold in another.
Panama17 schrieb:
I’m asking because I currently live in an apartment in a multi-family building, and our underfloor heating cannot be controlled properly at all, even though there are sensors and controllers in every room. The building dates from 2000 and we have underfloor heating in every room except the bedroom and children’s rooms, where there are conventional radiators. Our underfloor heating is only in the bathroom and living room on — then the bathroom and living room are at 24°C (75°F) (in the other rooms comfortable 20-21°C (68-70°F)) or off, then it’s just 19°C (66°F), which is too cold for us. There’s no setting in between. We only have the underfloor heating on in the bathroom and living room, we don’t heat the other rooms.
The heating company has been here several times, but the control still doesn’t work well.
14 years represent almost an era of development in underfloor heating. On the other hand, I could imagine that – besides the different heating systems, radiators and underfloor heating – part of the problem lies in your heating behavior, which is why it isn’t working correctly. Heating only 2 rooms may confuse the system.
Underfloor heating is still somewhat slow to respond but no comparison to systems from 2000. So in a new build, you set the rooms to the desired temperature and leave the controller alone. Because the system adjusts to the outdoor temperature, the underfloor heating basically controls itself and the sensation of slowness doesn’t even come up.
Best regards, Bauexperte
That sounds promising. I was hoping that there have been significant improvements.
Regarding our current apartment: almost no one is ever in the bedroom and the kids’ room, so it doesn’t make sense to heat those areas. I could turn on the heating in the kitchen instead. That would make it warm there as well, without making the living room any cooler. I just feel like something is fundamentally wrong. For example, in the living room, the area about 2 meters (6.5 feet) in front of the patio door isn’t heated at all. I recently read somewhere that normally the heating loops are installed especially close together in that spot. But if the purchase of the plot really works out, I honestly don’t care anymore since we won’t be living here much longer. Also, the heating costs are quite manageable.
Am I generally approaching the planning correctly at the moment? I first think about what I want (number of rooms, fireplace, roof style, underfloor heating, room temperatures), and then at some point I start considering which technology would allow me to build and heat most economically?
Right now, I’m really overwhelmed. I’ve often read here that the technology (gas, solar, heat pump, etc.) can only be planned once the energy demand is defined. But energy demand also depends heavily on the planning (which materials are used, how thick the walls are, etc.), or am I misunderstanding? I really don’t know the best way to tackle the whole process at the moment.
Regarding our current apartment: almost no one is ever in the bedroom and the kids’ room, so it doesn’t make sense to heat those areas. I could turn on the heating in the kitchen instead. That would make it warm there as well, without making the living room any cooler. I just feel like something is fundamentally wrong. For example, in the living room, the area about 2 meters (6.5 feet) in front of the patio door isn’t heated at all. I recently read somewhere that normally the heating loops are installed especially close together in that spot. But if the purchase of the plot really works out, I honestly don’t care anymore since we won’t be living here much longer. Also, the heating costs are quite manageable.
Am I generally approaching the planning correctly at the moment? I first think about what I want (number of rooms, fireplace, roof style, underfloor heating, room temperatures), and then at some point I start considering which technology would allow me to build and heat most economically?
Right now, I’m really overwhelmed. I’ve often read here that the technology (gas, solar, heat pump, etc.) can only be planned once the energy demand is defined. But energy demand also depends heavily on the planning (which materials are used, how thick the walls are, etc.), or am I misunderstanding? I really don’t know the best way to tackle the whole process at the moment.
D
DerBjoern4 Mar 2014 14:13Keep in mind that in modern, well-insulated houses, it is hard to achieve significant temperature differences. Currently, I have 21°C (70°F) on the ground floor and the heating is off upstairs everywhere except in the bathroom. Still, I can hardly get the bedrooms below 19.5°C (67°F)…
As a building expert, I would say a properly adjusted system is roughly set up once... then finely tuned in the first few months, and after that, you shouldn’t keep adjusting the controls... otherwise, something is wrong with the system.
My system regulates itself... there is nothing more to do.
The choice of the heat generator depends on your budget and your own preference for fossil or non-fossil options, etc.
My system regulates itself... there is nothing more to do.
The choice of the heat generator depends on your budget and your own preference for fossil or non-fossil options, etc.
B
Bauexperte4 Mar 2014 19:23Good evening,
first of all – you shouldn’t base all important decisions in house construction solely on learned or secondhand half-knowledge. Don’t you have a salesperson or consultant you trust? At least for an initial consultation?
Completely turning off the heating makes no sense to me because a set temperature is adjusted automatically via the outdoor sensor. You should also use night setback temperatures moderately => like the kettle that must heat up again.
If you want information about the possible alternatives before you have found a building partner, you can commission a technical building services planner (TGA planner) with the necessary calculations.
Best regards, Bauexperte
first of all – you shouldn’t base all important decisions in house construction solely on learned or secondhand half-knowledge. Don’t you have a salesperson or consultant you trust? At least for an initial consultation?
Panama17 schrieb:Why does that not make sense to you? Have you heard of thermal bridges? These can develop even if you only heat certain rooms. The easiest way to explain this is with the example of a boiling kettle. Once boiling, it only takes a small amount of heat to keep the temperature steady. If you turn off the power/gas, the water cools down and it takes much more energy to bring it back to boiling – heating up again costs money.
About our current apartment again. Almost nobody is ever in the bedroom and children’s room, so it doesn’t make sense to heat them.
Completely turning off the heating makes no sense to me because a set temperature is adjusted automatically via the outdoor sensor. You should also use night setback temperatures moderately => like the kettle that must heat up again.
Panama17 schrieb:Yes and no at the same time. You choose a new building based on the energy saving regulations or an energy efficiency standard (such as KfW level), and the rest will be determined automatically through the required calculations of the heating demand by your building contractor. Not every heat generator is equally suitable for every construction project; the values of your project will show you the viable options.
But the energy demand also depends a lot on the planning (which materials are used, how thick the walls are, etc.), or am I wrong?
If you want information about the possible alternatives before you have found a building partner, you can commission a technical building services planner (TGA planner) with the necessary calculations.
Best regards, Bauexperte
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