Hello, we are in the planning stages of a new construction in Ottawa (Ontario) for a small 1600sqft bungalow.  Reading past posts, I do not see much about Hydronic Air Handlers (e.g. Lifebreath).  What are the pros and cons of a Hydronic Air Handler? Is it truly a better alternative to High Efficiency Forced-Air (Natural Gas)?  We have natural gas available and cannot afford to go with geo-exchange since we are opting to spend our limited $$ on a tighter building envelope as a top priority (ICF foundation, spray foam walls).

We have read that hydronic air is more efficient than the standard high efficiency natural gas furnace.  Both use natural gas as the heat source but the hydronic system uses the NG to heat the water which then heats the air; whereas the standard furnace uses natural gas to heat the air directly - so what makes a hydronic system superior?  It is also advertised as a good reason to go with hot water on demand since the unit is already producing hot water for air heating... is that a valid statement?

Thanks!

You've wandered onto a forum dedicated to geothermal heat pumps - what you ask is a bit outside our typical subject area

Sorry about that.  Newbie here.  Please disregard this post, or if you're interested in replying, I've re-posted it in General Forum - Residential.