Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Nov 25, 2010 4:34 pm Hi all We haven't started our build yet but are getting excited coming up with ideas. One thing we're certain of is polished concrete however we're concerned about how cold it could be underfoot so we are considering slab heating. Can anyone offer any information on installation costs, running costs or even if it's required. Thanks in advance! Ange Building in Bacchus Re: Polished Concrete and Slab Heating 2Nov 25, 2010 6:03 pm For a suspended slab, I think slab heating would be a good idea. Particularyl if it's solar powered. The beaty of suspended slab heating is that the heat warms both the rooms above and below. For the slab on the ground, about half your heat is lost. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Polished Concrete and Slab Heating 4Nov 26, 2010 9:53 am Hi Scout, I personally wouldn't spend the money - we have polished concrete, and find it fine for foot comfort - we moved in to our place during winter, mind you we are in Qld - I would rather save the money for something you will "see", and put on socks/slippers if need be during the cooler months... Building on the Sunshine Coast - Land settled 22nd July 2009 Building contract finally signed (after much deliberation on our part) 11th November 2009 Building commences 25th January 2010 - small local builder End of June - almost completed fit out 26th July - MOVE IN DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Re: Polished Concrete and Slab Heating 5Nov 26, 2010 11:41 am Moogles Hi Scout, I personally wouldn't spend the money - we have polished concrete, and find it fine for foot comfort - we moved in to our place during winter, mind you we are in Qld - I would rather save the money for something you will "see", and put on socks/slippers if need be during the cooler months... Hoppers Cossing is, I believe, in Victoria. Heating of some sort is needed! We are having polished concrete and solar hydronic floor heating. Your best bet would be to conyact your local hydronic heating specialist. Victoria seems flush with them. Re: Polished Concrete and Slab Heating 6Nov 26, 2010 6:37 pm Moogles mind you we are in Qld - ... Yes, perhaps different requirements needed for VIC - just giving my perspective and experience, given we have lived with the floor during winter - where it can get down to single digit temperatures overnight... Building on the Sunshine Coast - Land settled 22nd July 2009 Building contract finally signed (after much deliberation on our part) 11th November 2009 Building commences 25th January 2010 - small local builder End of June - almost completed fit out 26th July - MOVE IN DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Re: Polished Concrete and Slab Heating 7Nov 26, 2010 10:05 pm I'm also keen to hear people's opinions on this - we are building in Melbourne (inner-west) & will be having polished concrete slab. Keep changing our minds on it - consensus on the ATA forums seemed to be it was a waste of money, especially given that half the heat is lost to the ground & because of the lag time. Losing heat can be helped by under slab insulation but this introduces even more costs & could be problematic with summer heat! Hydronic panel heating around the walls & rugs on floor could be a decent balance. Our open plan kitchen/family/meals area will be quite large & have a south facing orientation - slab heating is quite expensive; it would be a shame to pay for installation & then find we don't really require it. I've read & head many stories about folks rarely using it because of both the massive lag & Melbourne's schizophrenic weather. In Europe/UK/Canada/etc it is definitely a good idea. In most parts of Australia I'm not so sure.....anyone else? Re: Polished Concrete and Slab Heating 8Nov 26, 2010 11:24 pm I've stayed in a house that had it and as far as the quality of heating goes its the best there is. Being underfoot every part of the house feels warm and it is a very comfortable constant heat. The point of it from what I understand is that during winter it stays on pretty much all the time and simply gets turned off when the wheather warms up. Not sure how it goes when you have a single cold day and decide to turn on the heat. As far as efficiency goes I have no idea - surely its more efficient than ducted heating. As the underside of the slab is in the ground I would have thought you aren't really loosing half the heating as ground temperature is normalised as opposed to air temperature - I think saying the half the heat is lost is not really taking everything into account. I'd say you have to balance efficiency vs comfort to decide if you want it. Hydronic wall panels are also great but not quite as good comfort wise and still take an hour or two to get going. You could ask this question in the eco section as there are some pretty cluey people in there that may know all about it. Re: Polished Concrete and Slab Heating 9Nov 28, 2010 7:51 pm Hi, Friends of ours have slab heating. They are in Wallan in Victoria. They run there heating for 6 ish months a year and last year there Electricity bill was in the $2700 (Thats the whole house including electric hot water. House size 20 sq.s I think Mrs may correct this later) They had to get 3 phase power. Issues they have had is the heating broke in master bed room... and unless they rip up the slab it can't be fixed. Frank The concreter will take and reuse. In my case I bought structural LVLs and scraped them back and used them as joists. 1 5153 yep, clearly mark where the infloor heating pipes are before drilling or nailing 1 6057 Building Standards; Getting It Right! is this for a residential dwelling or a shed? If its for a dwelling, its out of tolerance and a "mistakes happen" isnt a good enough excuse to just move on. 1 2420 |