Hello dear forum friends (it’s quite trendy these days to “collect friends” ;-) ),
we are once again faced with a question that has led us to gather so much information and so many impressions here in the forum (and pretty much everywhere else) that we no longer really know what is best or right for us.
As mentioned elsewhere, we are going to build a bungalow. So far, the plan is to install underfloor heating (additional cost about EUR 6,000). Now we have the feeling that this might not actually be the best choice for us. I won’t repeat all the pros and cons I’ve read, but simply explain what is important to us.
What really matters is that we would like to install hardwood flooring in the living room and carpet in the children’s rooms and bedroom. If we went with underfloor heating, we are also prepared to put tiles in the living room.
Now to our concerns:
1. Tiles = cold underfoot if the underfloor heating is not running. So in the transitional seasons and summer, this could be unpleasant, especially for the lady of the house.
2. Hardwood / laminate / carpet = generally less suitable for underfloor heating. There are products that carry a “suitable” certification, but it seems clear that heating costs will increase anyway, because these floor coverings usually provide good insulation.
3. The extra cost of EUR 6,000 really surprises me. Somehow, that must be balanced out by savings in heating or improved living comfort. Apparently, installing underfloor heating does not involve a significant additional effort, at least nothing close to that price level.
4. The comfortable climate in winter is probably guaranteed while the system is running and you don’t have to worry about much. However, short-term discomfort can’t be fixed with a quick turn of the room thermostat, because the thermal inertia of underfloor heating excludes a fast response.
So we are now wondering if we are the right candidates for this system, or if it would be better to install conventional radiators and provide a return line for kitchen and bathroom.
What do you think? Are we on the wrong path? Are we missing something? Are we letting all the writing confuse us too much?
:-)
Best regards from the Ammerland
Voki
we are once again faced with a question that has led us to gather so much information and so many impressions here in the forum (and pretty much everywhere else) that we no longer really know what is best or right for us.
As mentioned elsewhere, we are going to build a bungalow. So far, the plan is to install underfloor heating (additional cost about EUR 6,000). Now we have the feeling that this might not actually be the best choice for us. I won’t repeat all the pros and cons I’ve read, but simply explain what is important to us.
What really matters is that we would like to install hardwood flooring in the living room and carpet in the children’s rooms and bedroom. If we went with underfloor heating, we are also prepared to put tiles in the living room.
Now to our concerns:
1. Tiles = cold underfoot if the underfloor heating is not running. So in the transitional seasons and summer, this could be unpleasant, especially for the lady of the house.
2. Hardwood / laminate / carpet = generally less suitable for underfloor heating. There are products that carry a “suitable” certification, but it seems clear that heating costs will increase anyway, because these floor coverings usually provide good insulation.
3. The extra cost of EUR 6,000 really surprises me. Somehow, that must be balanced out by savings in heating or improved living comfort. Apparently, installing underfloor heating does not involve a significant additional effort, at least nothing close to that price level.
4. The comfortable climate in winter is probably guaranteed while the system is running and you don’t have to worry about much. However, short-term discomfort can’t be fixed with a quick turn of the room thermostat, because the thermal inertia of underfloor heating excludes a fast response.
So we are now wondering if we are the right candidates for this system, or if it would be better to install conventional radiators and provide a return line for kitchen and bathroom.
What do you think? Are we on the wrong path? Are we missing something? Are we letting all the writing confuse us too much?
:-)
Best regards from the Ammerland
Voki
J
JDoerbecker18 Aug 2014 21:07I’m no expert, but depending on the type of heating system, you probably can’t avoid using a surface heating system like underfloor heating. Because of the lower supply temperatures of, for example, an air heat pump, you won’t achieve a comfortable indoor temperature with radiators. That’s my layman’s knowledge… so take it with a grain of salt… ;-)
So the question from the forum community is likely: What type of heating system are you considering?
So the question from the forum community is likely: What type of heating system are you considering?
A woman who often has cold feet gives you a subjective answer.
No, the tiles actually retain the sun’s warmth until late in the evening... I thought the heating was on, but it was the stone acting as thermal mass 😉
My parents had no basement and no underfloor heating – that’s always been a deal-breaker for me. Always cold feet, all year round, even with carpet 🙁
We already had carpet upstairs over underfloor heating in our old house – very cozy, no loss of comfort. Parquet up to 1cm (0.4 inches) thick is also fine.
...same here (knocked off my feet). Way too expensive 🙁
You don’t really feel the need to adjust it. I personally always missed having a direct heat source coming inside after being out in the cold in the old house. That’s why we got a stove, and now we also built with a stove. But the old house was poorly insulated; the current house offers a completely different, better, and cozier environment.
At 6,000, I would also reconsider. If you already have radiators that don’t bother you... I think you can still be a candidate for underfloor heating. Try to negotiate the supply temperature again or calculate what kind of loan the 6,000 would require. 😉 And if someone also writes to you about the consumption difference between radiators and underfloor heating, it might turn into a calculation that works out.
Voki1 schrieb:
Now to our concerns:
1. Tiles = cold underfoot if the underfloor heating isn’t providing warmth. So in transitional seasons and summer, possibly uncomfortable, especially for the lady of the house.
No, the tiles actually retain the sun’s warmth until late in the evening... I thought the heating was on, but it was the stone acting as thermal mass 😉
My parents had no basement and no underfloor heating – that’s always been a deal-breaker for me. Always cold feet, all year round, even with carpet 🙁
Voki1 schrieb:
2. Parquet / laminate / carpet flooring = generally rather unsuitable for underfloor heating. There are some with a “suitable” certification, but it seems clear that heating costs will increase anyway because these floorings usually have good insulation.
We already had carpet upstairs over underfloor heating in our old house – very cozy, no loss of comfort. Parquet up to 1cm (0.4 inches) thick is also fine.
Voki1 schrieb:
3. Additional costs of EUR 6,000 knock me off my feet. Somehow that has to be recouped through heating savings or improved living comfort. Apparently, installing underfloor heating does not really involve significant extra effort, certainly not to the amount quoted here.
...same here (knocked off my feet). Way too expensive 🙁
Voki1 schrieb:
4. The comfort climate in winter is definitely there when the system runs, and you really don’t have to worry about much. However, temporary discomfort cannot be fixed quickly by just a small turn of the room thermostat, because the inertia of underfloor heating rules out a fast response.
You don’t really feel the need to adjust it. I personally always missed having a direct heat source coming inside after being out in the cold in the old house. That’s why we got a stove, and now we also built with a stove. But the old house was poorly insulated; the current house offers a completely different, better, and cozier environment.
Voki1 schrieb:
So now we wonder whether we are really the right candidates for this or if we should rather install conventional radiators and provide a return line for kitchen and bathroom.
At 6,000, I would also reconsider. If you already have radiators that don’t bother you... I think you can still be a candidate for underfloor heating. Try to negotiate the supply temperature again or calculate what kind of loan the 6,000 would require. 😉 And if someone also writes to you about the consumption difference between radiators and underfloor heating, it might turn into a calculation that works out.
To quickly heat up:
We also have underfloor heating in our office and a party mode button. When you press it, it gets warm or warmer very quickly. So apparently, that’s possible nowadays even with underfloor heating. Otherwise, as mentioned, with a stove.
Without underfloor heating, it would never be an option for me again!
milkie
We also have underfloor heating in our office and a party mode button. When you press it, it gets warm or warmer very quickly. So apparently, that’s possible nowadays even with underfloor heating. Otherwise, as mentioned, with a stove.
Without underfloor heating, it would never be an option for me again!
milkie
Hello, THANK YOU for the previous responses. It does seem that about 50% of new construction projects are equipped with underfloor heating. The homeowners can’t all be wrong. In the bathroom, there will be a "towel heater," and we will have a wood-burning stove anyway (already installed). The party function is interesting. I assume this works by temporarily increasing the supply temperature to achieve the desired effect; otherwise, I can’t imagine how the floor covering would warm up faster. ;-)
I have initially requested additional information about the details of the underfloor heating system and its installation. This is to ensure transparency regarding the expected costs. We will only sign a contract once ALL relevant points for us (i.e., costly ones) are clarified to our satisfaction or we reluctantly agree for other reasons despite our dissatisfaction.
I almost feel that this is a matter of belief. That’s not my strong suit compared to objective evaluation. ;-)
I have initially requested additional information about the details of the underfloor heating system and its installation. This is to ensure transparency regarding the expected costs. We will only sign a contract once ALL relevant points for us (i.e., costly ones) are clarified to our satisfaction or we reluctantly agree for other reasons despite our dissatisfaction.
I almost feel that this is a matter of belief. That’s not my strong suit compared to objective evaluation. ;-)
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