G'day,
I am currently trying to find the best solution for heating in a living area that has a space of 40sqm.
We live in a small terrace in the Inner West of Sydney and are about to renovate. We are both set on having a polished concrete floor in our downstairs open plan living area. We have looked into both electric and hydro systems. It looks as though the space is too small to put in a hyrdo system. If we were to install one we would eventually be replacing the system due to the fact that it would have to constantly turn off and on.
We have been advised that installing an electric heating system may not heat the slab at all. The builder told us that too much heat would be lost out of the slab and we would be wasting a lot of money.
The slab will be on the ground so it would be getting heat from the ground as well. Also the backyard of our house faces north so it generally gets sunlight and the living space would allow light in through large glass bi-folds.
The answers I am after I guess are
1) Has anyone installed underfloor heating in a small space like 40sqm?
2) Is it worth installing underfloor heating or should we just install a gas heater instead?
3) Would the slab naturally heat up through sunlight and peoples activity in the house?
4) Should we consider a different floor covering?
Thanks in advance for all your advice. I really feel like I keep going around in circles.
Cheers