I have found that heated flooring really is the way to go.
- The only cons with this plan is that it raises the floor and adds weight.
I guess it could be argued that a drawback is that the radiant heating plan only provides heat, not cooling. That isn’t a concern in our area. The chilly lingers around 8 months out of the year. The summers are pretty underwhelming too. I like our radiant gas furnace. I have a boiler in the basement that uses a series of piping that is networked into our floors. The sizzling water from the boiler flows through the pipes to create a heating effect. Since it is water and not air based, there are no sizzling and chilly spots. No air is rising to the ceiling to get wasted. There are not any complications with dry or dirty indoor air pollen levels. Hydronic radiant heating is silent, efficient and effective. It gently warms the flooring and you won’t even notice. Since the heat stays where you want it and all objects in contact with it warm, you can lower the temperature a few degrees. A slight temperature change really affects the energy bills too. Another benefit of this heating plan is there is certainly little repair involved. Once it is tight under the floors, you are kind of stuck with it. The Heating, Ventilation and A/C company can’t access it, but you don’t need him to. The flooring is protected from dust, rust and damage. I like that I have our heating plan out of sight and not taking up any space in the house.