Underfloor or Rad's for a self build?

This is a discussion that could go on forever, it depends on what you hope to achieve. In my opinion underfloor is wasteful because of our climate, it is not as responsive as a radiator system especially with oil or gas, if it were underfloor all over with well installed geothermal perhaps. If you have a system that combines solar with other heating types then underfloor is not suitable, its reaction time is too slow when you have the variance on ambient temperatures. But that my opinion.

Hughem7 wrote: »

Hi, I have just put in the holocore onto my first floor and the roof will soon be going on. The thing is I was set to put under floor heating downstairs and rad's upstairs with a condenser oil boiler. But I am getting mixed reviews on the under floor system with most mates (including a Plumber) telling me that rads all over are cheaper to run. . So the question is what is cheaper to run in a 2,300 sqf story and a half house with a solar panel system also in the mix as per build reg????

I tend to believe that Underfloor heating is better suited when it runs with a continous heat source, be it low grade heat like geo thermal or air to water heatpump.

Oil and gas would be running more frequently and probably cost more.

The other aspect of underfloor is that it best suits large open plan areas where people didn't want to have radiators visible. ( lots of architects love their clean lines... watch Grand Designs programme).

The advantages of underfloor heating means you don't get vast temperatures differences ( air movement from warmer to cooler areas causes drafts.
However, utilising properly positioned and sized radiators with thermostatic rad valves and proper zoned controls could give you an even temperature throughout the house.( at a fraction of the cost).