Browse Forums Heating, Cooling & Insulation Re: Hydronic heating - carpet? 9Mar 30, 2021 9:32 pm I'm interested in the windows in the lounge and open plan area. Would you mind sharing the elevations of the north eastern and north western sides of the house? Also, are they shaded by neighbouring buildings or trees? I live near Cooma, so our climate is similar to yours. Our Northern side is pretty much all glass and not shaded by anything. On even mildly sunny days in the middle of winter, the house is toasty. I spend a lot of time managing the temperature through blinds, awnings and opening windows, and we only ever use the hydronic heating when we have a succession of cloudy days - which is rare in our area and yours. Because hydronic heating takes hours to get to temperature, it’s possibly not the best solutions in that situation, but it’s what we have so we use it to the best effect we can. We are not unique in this regard. A family in town who visited our place during the early stages of there build at the request of their building designer who we know, have also found similar at their new rural home. Since you have a nice northerly aspect to the main living areas of your house, you might be in a similar position. That said, every room and area to the south of you lounge, living and dining area will get no direct benefit from your orientation, so they will remain cooler. Re: Hydronic heating - carpet? 10Mar 31, 2021 7:09 am Hey mate, that window in the lounge is meant to be 2m wide and 2.4 high, it will probably end up being 2.1 high though (just checked the window quote and they got the measurements wrong - so thankyou!) But that’s a carpeted area and I expect that it will get some after lunch sun but due to the proximity of the neighbours and the Lt of the land, vegetation - I doubt any direct sun after 3-4pm. Re: Hydronic heating - carpet? 11Mar 31, 2021 9:59 am Well, without knowing more about the design of the house (eaves, insulation, glazing, etc, etc) and based just on the floor plan alone, I would separately zone the open plan living area, the lounge, and the master bedroom+ ensuite+WIR. I wouldn't even bother putting coils under the hall, laundry and powder room, and I would definitely avoid heating the pantry. Re: Hydronic heating - carpet? 12Mar 31, 2021 10:28 am Ahh ok, I will talk to the builder. My thought was to do the whole bottom floor except thale garage; to ensure the whole floor was heated. But I can definitely see your point reference the pantry! Re: Hydronic heating - carpet? 13Apr 01, 2021 4:01 pm In my humble opinion, going for underfloor hydronic heating, when you already opting for reverse cycle heating and cooling would be a bit overkill, esp, if you are not going for tiled floor to maximise the heat transfer. I would rather go with good insulation (up-spec wall and ceiling R), all windows double glazed with uPVC (or TB Aluminium if you can afford) and incorporate good solar passive design. We have uPVC and timber floors with R2.5 wall insulation and R6 ceiling insulation and a mostly northerly opening big windows. Its been over a year we have been in our house and gone though all seasons, it is really warm and cosy in the cooler months and no problem walking bare foot on the timber floors. We have only used the heating or cooling for extreme few weeks of summer or winter, most of the time (like now) the house just manages itself. Having come to our new build from a non-insulated rental place, its amazing the difference what a good orientation and proper insulation can achieve, it is almost magic! Re: Hydronic heating - carpet? 14Apr 01, 2021 6:25 pm Cheers mate, we have polished concrete to the entire downstairs; just carpet to two rooms. But I appreciate your feedback; we’ve got the same insulation as you, decent orientation, but only double glazing - didn’t opt for thermally broken or upvc; so I’m hoping we will be fine. I think my wife wants a little bit of luxury/overkill (she seems to get allot colder than me) in the heating department. Where did you get your windows from? We’re currently looking at a Taylor’s windows for double glazing, but I’m not sure if they’re any good or not. Re: Hydronic heating - carpet? 15Apr 01, 2021 6:49 pm Sorry, I have to admit, I am a poor reader, didn't carefully read through this tread; if polished concrete it make sense, if you are going with HH then also make sure you have under slab insulation (basically XPS boards laid down before foam-work) and slab edge insulation as well, that will give you the most heat retention. Having said that if you are going with solar water heater, or solar powered heat-pump for heating up the hydronic system then a little bit of energy loss should be OK - I guess talk to your builder on cost and do a cost-benefit analysis. In regards to uPVC, we went with a local supplier (https://malplas.com.au/) , it cost us around 30% extra compared to equivalent normal aluminium frames. The TB aluminium is much more expensive, I guess about 40-50% more. As you are going with polished concrete, the hydronic system would really be a luxurious addition for sure! Certainly if you appreciate toasty warm under the feet. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good hydronic in slab heating speacialist who may be able to help me with an existing system and wether or not it may need a seperator… 0 5488 Currently renovating, and our main lounge is 5m x 10m, with a cathedral roof peaking at 6.5m high. Currently have tiles on concrete slab. Room is very hard to heat. 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