Electric Radiant install -basement floor
Heat our entire house w/ a woodstove on main floor (having super-insulated this old house w/ sprayed-in foam -GREAT!). Means that it’s a bit chilly in basement now, w/ furnace never running. -Northern Alberta, 4-5 months down to -30, sometimes -40!
Basement is all utility, no need for supplemental heat, except my 12X20 home workshop. Would like it a bit more comfy down there -when I’ve the odd time to work down there. Seems electric radiant is the most cost- & energy-effective for such small area. -Will eventually be run solar-ly. Now, I’m a carpenter, lotsa cement-work experience. The 4″ cement slab was not insulated below it, but after lotsa research & checking w/ co-workers (HVAC sub-trades) I’m going to install the wiring right on existing slab so that it will act as a huge heat-sink for basement (rather than insulate against the heat going down). Then will pour a few inches of cement over top.
Over worktable-traffic’ed area (where I may pull out saw-tables etc,. concentrating the weight over the wired-area with the tables casters) I am going to SET INDUSTRIAL CERAMIC-TILE DIRECTLY INTO THE CEMENT. -Apparently common practice in South Africa.
Anybody have any experience in that practise?
Thanks, Barb
Replies
That requires keeping the floor heat all of the time do to the relatively long response time.
If you use it as infrequently as you say then you might want to look at overhead infra-red radaiant heat.
The HVAC guys are not energy efficiency and conservation specialists. They just supply the heat/cooling and don't get involved in keeping the energy costs down by designing the building envelope and adding other energy saving features.
Yes, the slab will act as a bit of a heat sink for when the power goes out for a few hours but about 1/3 of the heat produced will move downward into the infinite heat sink/sucker called the earth!!
I can tell you that using a radiant floor heating system without adequate underlying insulation WILL COST you plently to operate, as has already been suggested in an earlier reply. You will constantly be losing heat downward to the earth subgrade having a temperature likely no more than 50 F in your area.
I know of one person who actually did what you are contemplating, but using hot water radiant heating in lieu of electric resistance, and achieved a very comfortable floor; however, his heating costs were noticably expensive. This person was a supplier to the HVAC trade, thus substantating an earlier comment.
I also support another's earlier comment- go infrared. What you might try, at minimal initial cost, is infrared light bulbs positioned over your work station(s).