Hello. I'm currently buiding a new 3000sf (1100 sf future space) home in Central NJ. At this point the home is finished outside with no interior work done. The Basement floor & garage floors have radiant heat (I ran the pipe). I would like to continue with radiant heat throughout the whole house. I never had forced hot air heat so I'm nervous to start now since I have bad allergies even though it's much cheaper. I am having trouble finding good reliable information about Geo & a hot water heat system (hydronic). Are they compatible? Can Hot water baseboards be used instead of radiant floor heat? Is such a system more or less efficient than forced hot air? Can anyone share any experiences from a similiar system? Can anyone in NJ ball park the price for there systems? I have not really felt too confident in the ans. several contractors have given me. Basically through this whole builing our house process it's been difficult to evaluate different home building materials and systems. I feel we are just beginning "green" buiding (even though some technolgy has been around for decades), and its difficult to make informed decisions b/c most people are building the way they have always built. My biggest fear is to finish this house and then it's outdated from an energy efficiency standpoint. So I really want to have all the facts about everything especially geothermal before a build a brand new house from 1975. Any and all info will be helpful Thanks for your time

Are they compatible? Can Hot water baseboards be used instead of radiant floor heat?

No, Hot water baseboard heaters use much hotter water.  Although you could technically run the water from a geothermal system though a baseboard heater, the water doesn't get anywhere near hot enough to have the same effect.  Geothermal floor heat must be run through piping installed under the floor in the entire space you want to heat.

Is such a system more or less efficient than forced hot air?

I'm no expert, but based on the lack of energy star ratings for ANY floor radiant system, I would say they are less efficient.  As for the price, since geothermal experts are few and far between, I would say the additional expertise in someone having the additional experience in geothermal radiant heat is going to be even more rare and more costly.

 

I am having trouble finding good reliable information about Geo & a hot water heat system (hydronic). Are they compatible? - yes

Can Hot water baseboards be used instead of radiant floor heat? Probably not with geo

Is such a system more or less efficient than forced hot air? Depends on specific installation details. Radiant is a luxury selection based on comfort rather than efficiency issues. It adds considerably to the cost and complexity of a system if air ductwork is already planned for cooling.

If you pay especial attention to choices and materials for the house envelope (wall type, insulation, windows, doors, overhangs, shading, attic / roof) you won't have an energy obsolete house regardless of how you ultimately decide to heat and cool it.

A radiant floor system used with geothermal heat will be slightly more efficient than a geo forced hot air system because the delta T is lower. It is also equally comfortable at a slightly lower air temperature, so there can be a little savings there also.

Maybe, maybe not. Too many variables to state the foregoing for sure.

Based of the compete lack of Energy Star ratings for any radiant floor system, I would say someone thinks they are not all that efficient.  Since Federal tax credit and most state programs REQUIRE this, I would think manufactures would be tripping over themselves to get there systems certified, energy star certified systems would sell a lot easier (and more of them) based on these Federal and state incentives.

   

Doing some more research I found this from http://www.earthlinked.com/residential/products-home "The radiant floor option provides up to 40% additional energy savings added to those already delivered by the EarthLinked system." Thanks for the responses keep them coming

Efficiency of radiant connected to geo is highly dependent upon required water temperatures. A well designed radiant system in a tight house with carefully selected floor coverings (basically little or no carpet) might need water temps below 100F and geo can provide that at very high efficiency. If the radiant system needs 120+ F water then geo will provide that at lower efficiency than it would by heating air to 90-100

I think all are hitting on the same themes. Baseboard heat can work, but probably isn't practical unless your getting it all for free. You might need several stacked rows of finned tube on all exterior walls of the house... so its really not practical.

Which is better radiant geo or forced air geo is always going to depend on location, design & control, and installation (probably mostly installation).

But with everything apples to apples... same location, some quality design, and equally qualified installer. The radiant heat design will usually equire less energy as it is almost always more comfortable at a lower thermostat setting. A lower thermostat setting is a lower heating load.

However, the premium for radiant heat (when you most likely already need ductwork for cooling and probaly need some way of introducing fresh air) is probably going to have a VERY long payback period ! ... then I think you might be better buying the water-to-air unit and investing the dollars difference, in upgrading or improving the house envelope (better windows, increased insulation thickness, etc. ) Having said all that, there is nothing quite like walking on warm tile floors in the dead of winter, and an infloor system is nearly silent (pumps make some noise in the mechanical room i guess... )

I agree with both the comfort and efficiency argument owing to decreased thermostat settings. I further agree that if I were building my dream home anywhere north of, say, I-40, I'd spring for radiant infloor heating even if it meant accepting Formica kitchen counters and cheap flooring and whatever else I could swap out later for better.

I suggest you contact CMS Goethermal 877-CMS-GEO1 (877-267-4361) They will answer any qustions you have. They deal with a lot of radiant / geo and have installed many hybrid systems. They are located in central NJ, Good Luck.

Forgot to mention. I do not believe Earthlink is legal in NJ.

www.earthlinked.com/files/downloads/documents/Newsletters/09Nov.pdf