To Radiant Heat or Not to Radiant Heat?
That is the question.
We’re in the beginning stages of planning what will be a vacation home in eastern West Virginia, used primarily on weekends during the heating season, but probably on a more full-time basis about 15-20 years from now following semi-retirement. We’re planning on about 1600 – 2000 square feet, with about 1000 of that on the first level. We’ll have lots of wood to burn, and are considering a high-efficiency stove as the primary heating source, with either baseboard or floor radiant heating as a backup. We’ve agreed we really, really don’t like the dry heat that goes along with plain-ole woodstoves (or at least the 20-year-old one that we’ve experienced) and the temperature differences between rooms.
The real questions are — given the limited amount of time we’ll be heating the house (barely 48 hours at a time) for the near & mid-term — will we really be gaining any efficiencies by using radiant heating, and will the house get warm enough quickly enough to make this worthwhile? Our alternatives are oil, propane, or electric heat.
Many thanks for your thoughts/opinions —
Lynne
Replies
Regarding dry air. That's not so much a function of heat source as it is a function of the tightness of the house. A well-sealed wood stove with outside make-up air could function well in a tight house. As could RFH, forced air, hydronic baseboards, etc. If you need to heat the air a lot (because it is cold outside) work hard to achieve a tight house. You will save utility bills and stop you lips from chapping at the same time.
In extreme climates (like mine) one might choose to have a VERY tight house and a heat-recovery ventilator (HRV) to maintain good indoor air quality. I did that in my own RFH-heated hose and like it.
It does seem that in the short term, any cheap back-up heat source would work well. But it sounds like you might retire there. Consider that during retirement you may be less excited/able to chop and haul wood. And energy will probably cost more. And your comfort, 24/7, will be important to you. I'd invest more in a comfortable, efficient heating system and scrimp on the, for instance, the kitchen. In 15 years, a good heating system will still be paying dividends in both dollars and quality of life. Whereas, in 15 years, the best kitchen will be looking dated.
Lynne, I am starting my third radiant floor heat porject in West Virginia (and they happen to be in the eastern part). Especially if you are going to be living in it full time in the future I say put in radiant heat. I have also known people that have said why spend the money I can heat with wood, and then 5 years later they try to sell the house and the prospective buyers cannot get financing because wood heat is not acceptable to the banks. GUY