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
First of all, thank you for the contributions so far. As a result, the offer has been reduced by EUR 1,000 and the utility room now includes underfloor heating within this price. Basically, I have you to thank for that. Many thanks. We will go ahead with the underfloor heating.
B
baumann201321 Aug 2014 22:49Bauexperte schrieb:
Hello Yvonne,
That’s not correct. Every homeowner who wants to run both traditional radiators and underfloor heating needs a mixing valve (I don’t recall the exact name of the part right now); nothing more. Alternatively, it is also possible without a "mixing valve," but then the radiators have to be significantly larger.
Regards, BauexperteJust to clarify again: Is it correct to understand that, because of the radiator rooms, a higher supply temperature (and thus higher energy costs) is needed for all rooms, and this "mixing valve" reduces the temperature for the underfloor heating rooms?
B
Bauexperte22 Aug 2014 09:42Hello,
A heating installer could probably explain this better, but since I’m not one, I just want to simply agree.
From your description, it’s clear that it is uneconomical to accept this energy-inefficient setup just for one or even two radiators; it’s better to use larger panel radiators instead. However, there are now systems that address this “new” desire of homeowners to combine radiators and underfloor heating. => A heat distribution system where underfloor heating and radiators operate at the same supply temperature (up to a maximum of 70°C (158°F) in the design case) without exceeding the allowable surface temperature on the floor.
Please don’t ask me how exactly that works—it apparently involves an air gap in the pipe to be installed—I’m, as mentioned, not a heating technician; the main thing is that our contractor knows this, if this system is desired 😉
Regards, Bauexperte
baumann2013 schrieb:
Just to clarify again: Is it correct to understand that because of the radiator rooms, a higher supply temperature (and thus higher energy costs) is required for all rooms, and this "mixing valve" reduces the temperature for the underfloor heating rooms?
A heating installer could probably explain this better, but since I’m not one, I just want to simply agree.
From your description, it’s clear that it is uneconomical to accept this energy-inefficient setup just for one or even two radiators; it’s better to use larger panel radiators instead. However, there are now systems that address this “new” desire of homeowners to combine radiators and underfloor heating. => A heat distribution system where underfloor heating and radiators operate at the same supply temperature (up to a maximum of 70°C (158°F) in the design case) without exceeding the allowable surface temperature on the floor.
Please don’t ask me how exactly that works—it apparently involves an air gap in the pipe to be installed—I’m, as mentioned, not a heating technician; the main thing is that our contractor knows this, if this system is desired 😉
Regards, Bauexperte
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