I am the leader of a senior project group at WSU. We are designing a small (less than 900 sqft) environmentaly friendly home for the Ogden, UT area. Our goal is to keep the overall building cost under $90,000, so I am trying to decide if radiant cooling is a good idea for us. We are going to be using in floor radiant heat. It is a slab on grade home. Do you guys have any pro's or con's we should consider? Any estimates on cost?

Thanks so much!

-Abby Jayne

I've read a few studies related to the radiant slab cooling... They are quite interesting. The main point being the system must have the ability to maintain the slab temperature above dew point to minimize any risk of condensation. The other downside is that your cooling BTU/sq ft is reduced vs a cooling radiant ceiling system. They have some ceiling mount systems that are quite sharp, I can't remember the name of the company now but it was essentially a valance (v with tube through it) which allowed for colder temperatures, dehumidification and drainage taken care of and at the top of the room to get the maximum cooling potential. Be interested to know what you proceed with.