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
In our home, the controls for the underfloor heating have been taped over for 10 months to prevent the children from adjusting them. There’s no need to keep turning them all the time...
We have underfloor heating on the ground floor and radiators upstairs. However, an extra cost of EUR 6,000 would be too expensive for me. That sounds like a defensive condition.
We have underfloor heating on the ground floor and radiators upstairs. However, an extra cost of EUR 6,000 would be too expensive for me. That sounds like a defensive condition.
Hello,
a comment on the topic of underfloor heating in new buildings: we have a standard KFW70 house with a heat pump. In the basement, ground floor, and bathroom (upper floor), there are tiles everywhere, and in the children’s rooms and bedroom, laminate flooring. During the heating season, the floor is always cold, even when the room temperature is 22°C (72°F). The reason: even in subzero outdoor temperatures, the supply water temperature is below 30°C (86°F), only occasionally exceeding 30°C (86°F) at around -20°C (-4°F) outside temperature. The floor surface temperature is naturally lower. Since this temperature is clearly below body temperature, the floor always feels cold, even if it’s not as cold as without underfloor heating. So, without socks, it’s quite uncomfortable. But with radiators, it wouldn’t be any different—a parquet floor chosen instead of tiles would also feel cool. With acquaintances (house about 20 years old), you can still feel the warmth of the underfloor heating. The reason: a higher supply temperature is necessary due to poorer insulation and wider pipe spacing. Overall, we would choose underfloor heating again in the future.
Best regards
a comment on the topic of underfloor heating in new buildings: we have a standard KFW70 house with a heat pump. In the basement, ground floor, and bathroom (upper floor), there are tiles everywhere, and in the children’s rooms and bedroom, laminate flooring. During the heating season, the floor is always cold, even when the room temperature is 22°C (72°F). The reason: even in subzero outdoor temperatures, the supply water temperature is below 30°C (86°F), only occasionally exceeding 30°C (86°F) at around -20°C (-4°F) outside temperature. The floor surface temperature is naturally lower. Since this temperature is clearly below body temperature, the floor always feels cold, even if it’s not as cold as without underfloor heating. So, without socks, it’s quite uncomfortable. But with radiators, it wouldn’t be any different—a parquet floor chosen instead of tiles would also feel cool. With acquaintances (house about 20 years old), you can still feel the warmth of the underfloor heating. The reason: a higher supply temperature is necessary due to poorer insulation and wider pipe spacing. Overall, we would choose underfloor heating again in the future.
Best regards
B
Bauexperte19 Aug 2014 11:48Hello,
Furthermore, if an efficiency rating of 70 or lower (Effizienzhaus 70 or better) is the goal, that will hardly be possible with a gas condensing boiler alone; additional heating support will almost certainly be needed, as well as a ventilation system with heat recovery. Whether this suffices depends on the calculation for the thermal insulation certificate combined with the soil report (and possibly any concrete pillars, which negatively affect the wall values).
The state-of-the-art and therefore more modern solution is always an air-to-water heat pump, and for comfort reasons, a ventilation system is also recommended (especially if the bungalow is left alone during the day and regular window ventilation cannot be ensured during the first two years). An air-to-water heat pump also saves the cost of connecting to the gas supply 😉
Best regards, Bauexperte
Voki1 schrieb:EUR 6,000 (about $6,400) may seem like a lot initially, but it’s not that much considering the bungalow’s larger floor area. It also appears your preferred supplier still charges extra for underfloor heating, so they may have different conditions in this area of the house construction.
As mentioned elsewhere, we are planning to build a bungalow. So far, we are leaning towards underfloor heating (additional cost about EUR 6,000). But we are beginning to wonder if that might not be the best choice for us. I’m not going to repeat all the pros and cons I’ve read, but I will share what’s important to us.
Voki1 schrieb:That’s true; anyone sensitive to cold will regret not having installed underfloor heating afterward.
1. Tiles = cold feet if underfloor heating isn’t warming them. So in transitional seasons and summer it might be uncomfortable, especially for the lady of the house.
Voki1 schrieb:Nowadays, almost all types of floor coverings are suitable for underfloor heating. This is due to current energy-saving regulations requiring manufacturers to adjust their products accordingly. Heating costs generally do not increase with these coverings because their backing is designed specifically for underfloor heating.
2. Parquet / laminate / carpet = generally less suitable for underfloor heating. There are some with a "suitable" label, but clearly heating costs will rise since these coverings usually have good insulation.
Voki1 schrieb:That’s not generally true. If your chosen supplier does not include underfloor heating as a standard feature, they probably don’t have favorable purchasing terms or have a relatively basic standard specification. It’s also possible that the extra cost brings the overall financial balance closer to break-even.
3. Additional cost of EUR 6,000 (about $6,400) surprises me. Somehow, the cost must be recovered through heating savings or increased comfort. Installing underfloor heating apparently does not require significant extra effort, at least not enough to justify that price.
Voki1 schrieb:This is the biggest mistake almost all homeowners make. Once the system is set up, you do NOT change it! It doesn’t matter whether it is radiators or underfloor heating. All systems respond to outdoor temperature sensors, meaning the indoor temperature adjusts automatically. This is one reason why modern underfloor heating isn’t as slow to react as expected. Every adjustment—whether up or down—literally costs money. So: never change a running system 😉
4. Comfort climate is certainly achieved in winter when the system is running, and you don’t have to worry much. However, temporary discomfort cannot be fixed quickly by simply adjusting the room thermostat, due to the slow response time of underfloor heating.
Voki1 schrieb:My first question is why you should do this? As far as I recall, it might well be that you will sell the bungalow later—if so, underfloor heating is definitely more attractive for resale than radiators. Also, radiators take up wall space and behind them, it can be quite difficult to clean, wallpaper, or paint. If an allergy is behind choosing radiators, you might want to check out DAAB’s advice. They have recommended for years carpet over underfloor heating as the best protection against allergy flare-ups.
So now we are wondering if we are the right candidates for underfloor heating, or if we should stick with conventional radiators and just prepare return piping in the kitchen and bathroom.
What do you think? Are we on the wrong track? Are we missing something? Are we letting all the discussions confuse us too much?
Furthermore, if an efficiency rating of 70 or lower (Effizienzhaus 70 or better) is the goal, that will hardly be possible with a gas condensing boiler alone; additional heating support will almost certainly be needed, as well as a ventilation system with heat recovery. Whether this suffices depends on the calculation for the thermal insulation certificate combined with the soil report (and possibly any concrete pillars, which negatively affect the wall values).
The state-of-the-art and therefore more modern solution is always an air-to-water heat pump, and for comfort reasons, a ventilation system is also recommended (especially if the bungalow is left alone during the day and regular window ventilation cannot be ensured during the first two years). An air-to-water heat pump also saves the cost of connecting to the gas supply 😉
Best regards, Bauexperte
Tiles feel too cold underfoot for me as well, but besides parquet, tiles, and carpet, there are a few other types of flooring.
We will install vinyl planks throughout the house. They feel warm underfoot, are suitable for underfloor heating, waterproof, and very importantly, non-slip. We have pets, and we don’t want them slipping on the floor.
Additionally, they look good. Depending on the manufacturer, they can also be very thin, which is sometimes important here.
We will install vinyl planks throughout the house. They feel warm underfoot, are suitable for underfloor heating, waterproof, and very importantly, non-slip. We have pets, and we don’t want them slipping on the floor.
Additionally, they look good. Depending on the manufacturer, they can also be very thin, which is sometimes important here.
T
toxicmolotof19 Aug 2014 16:11Well, PVC in a new build wouldn’t be my choice, but fortunately, everyone has different tastes.
Underfloor heating with tile flooring would be my first choice.
Underfloor heating with tile flooring would be my first choice.
G
gillmaand19 Aug 2014 20:15We will have a combination of radiators and underfloor heating.
Radiators:
- Bedroom
- Dressing room
- Children's room
- Living room
- Office
Underfloor heating:
- All bathrooms
- Utility room
- Kitchen
- Dining area
- Hallway
The kitchen, dining, and living areas are open-plan and will also have a wood stove in the living room.
Radiators:
- Bedroom
- Dressing room
- Children's room
- Living room
- Office
Underfloor heating:
- All bathrooms
- Utility room
- Kitchen
- Dining area
- Hallway
The kitchen, dining, and living areas are open-plan and will also have a wood stove in the living room.
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