Hello,
we are planning to build a house but have some questions about building services that we have not yet been able to find solid answers for.
1. Many modern houses tend to feel uncomfortably warm all the time. Why is that?
In our case, the comfortable temperature is around 20-22°C (68-72°F), but some friends of my wife who built houses with underfloor heating in recent years, as well as the experience visiting the Viebrockhaus model home park, report temperatures that feel closer to 24-25°C (75-77°F). What causes this? The answers so far have been: it is normal with underfloor heating; underfloor heating is very difficult to adjust; that is a thing of the past when only one heating circuit was installed for the entire house; it is due to the insulation in modern houses… I don’t think the underfloor heating can be entirely blamed, since it also gets hot in summer (when the heating is presumably off), definitely more than in our rental flat (built in 1997, gas heating with radiators). What are your thoughts?
Personally, I suspect it is more due to the lack of a basement and the large glazing areas combined with the absence of roof overhangs.
2. Is it still common to build houses with radiators today? Radiators seem to have disappeared from catalogs and websites. I understand that heating with radiators nowadays will likely struggle to meet energy-saving regulations. And is it unavoidable to have a mechanical ventilation system? We air out often, so we don’t really see the reason for such a system…
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having no basement?
Okay, less storage space, more noise (because heating and other systems are closer to living areas), probably less cooling effect in summer, and of course it is also a cost issue. But are there any other effects one should keep in mind?
Thank you very much for reading and for your answers.
I am happy to answer any follow-up questions.
we are planning to build a house but have some questions about building services that we have not yet been able to find solid answers for.
1. Many modern houses tend to feel uncomfortably warm all the time. Why is that?
In our case, the comfortable temperature is around 20-22°C (68-72°F), but some friends of my wife who built houses with underfloor heating in recent years, as well as the experience visiting the Viebrockhaus model home park, report temperatures that feel closer to 24-25°C (75-77°F). What causes this? The answers so far have been: it is normal with underfloor heating; underfloor heating is very difficult to adjust; that is a thing of the past when only one heating circuit was installed for the entire house; it is due to the insulation in modern houses… I don’t think the underfloor heating can be entirely blamed, since it also gets hot in summer (when the heating is presumably off), definitely more than in our rental flat (built in 1997, gas heating with radiators). What are your thoughts?
Personally, I suspect it is more due to the lack of a basement and the large glazing areas combined with the absence of roof overhangs.
2. Is it still common to build houses with radiators today? Radiators seem to have disappeared from catalogs and websites. I understand that heating with radiators nowadays will likely struggle to meet energy-saving regulations. And is it unavoidable to have a mechanical ventilation system? We air out often, so we don’t really see the reason for such a system…
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having no basement?
Okay, less storage space, more noise (because heating and other systems are closer to living areas), probably less cooling effect in summer, and of course it is also a cost issue. But are there any other effects one should keep in mind?
Thank you very much for reading and for your answers.
I am happy to answer any follow-up questions.
EveundGerd25 Jan 2016 22:22I should measure that sometime. In any case, they are nicely warm.
Have you checked the heating settings? How warm is it inside your house?
Have you checked the heating settings? How warm is it inside your house?
S
Sebastian7925 Jan 2016 22:25This is quite subjective – we are currently living at my parents’ place again, and there is an older, faulty underfloor heating system downstairs. At one point, the supply temperature was about 60°C (140°F) – you could almost boil eggs on it, yet my parents said it was "just a bit warm." It’s better now, but in general, the supply temperature is still too high, which is uncomfortable. This was often the case in the past and is likely why the idea of "swollen feet" originated – which was no surprise.
Modern underfloor heating systems run practically unnoticed…
Upstairs, we have traditional radiators, which also heat up very quickly. But besides the familiar heating smell (from my childhood), the warmth is quite uncomfortable – it’s quite intense.
There have been improvements here as well with lower supply temperatures, but the bulky units still take up space unnecessarily…
There are also wall and ceiling heating systems, although they’re not cheaper. I’m not familiar with the latter and somehow imagine it would also be uncomfortable.
@tomtom79:
You have underfloor heating on the stairs???
Modern underfloor heating systems run practically unnoticed…
Upstairs, we have traditional radiators, which also heat up very quickly. But besides the familiar heating smell (from my childhood), the warmth is quite uncomfortable – it’s quite intense.
There have been improvements here as well with lower supply temperatures, but the bulky units still take up space unnecessarily…
There are also wall and ceiling heating systems, although they’re not cheaper. I’m not familiar with the latter and somehow imagine it would also be uncomfortable.
@tomtom79:
You have underfloor heating on the stairs???
EveundGerd26 Jan 2016 12:04We can feel the underfloor heating through the carpet and the vinyl, but only faintly.
You should really check the settings of your heating system. However, you haven’t been living in the house for very long yet, right? That means the settings probably aren’t perfectly adjusted to your usage patterns yet.
You should really check the settings of your heating system. However, you haven’t been living in the house for very long yet, right? That means the settings probably aren’t perfectly adjusted to your usage patterns yet.
What do you suggest?
The domestic hot water is set to 45°C (113°F).
All room thermostats are set to 23°C (73°F).
The weighted average temperature (Wgt) is at 19°C (66°F).
The supply temperature is currently around 26°C (79°F) with an outside temperature of 10°C (50°F).
I have lowered the target temperature on the air source heat pump by 2°C (4°F).
What else can be adjusted?
The domestic hot water is set to 45°C (113°F).
All room thermostats are set to 23°C (73°F).
The weighted average temperature (Wgt) is at 19°C (66°F).
The supply temperature is currently around 26°C (79°F) with an outside temperature of 10°C (50°F).
I have lowered the target temperature on the air source heat pump by 2°C (4°F).
What else can be adjusted?
S
Sebastian7926 Jan 2016 12:1823 degrees is quite unusually warm for typical living spaces.
What spacing does your underfloor heating have in each room?
What spacing does your underfloor heating have in each room?
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