Re: Common house heating
From: shedrick coleman (shedarchgsvms2.cc.gasou.edu)
Date: Thu, 29 Sep 94 08:40 CDT
In message Thu, 29 Sep 94 07:16 CDT, gkvontob [at] COLBY.EDU  writes:

>
>
>>Our prefered option for electric heating is to install low temperature
>>   radiant heating in the ceiling.  Does anybody have experience with
>>  these  heaters?  (I have contacted a few local people who use it but I
>> would like to get a larger sample of users if possible).
>>   For those who aren't familiar with these heaters they consist of
>>  sheets of plastic with heating strips in it (and look like a rear
>>  window demister on  a car) that are installed immediately above the
>> plaster sheet in the ceiling and below the insulation.  The heat is
>> controlled with a thermostat and timer.
>>   We have agreed to install this type of heating unless we hear that
>>  there are problems with it.  It would be good to hear from anyone who
>> has experience with it.
>>  Hig
>>  (Ian Higginbottom)
>>  Cascade Cohousing
>>  Tasmania, Australia
>>
>
> Hig wrote the above.  I have shared a home with someone who had radiant
> heat in the ceiling.  DON'T DO IT!  I was cold alot of the winter, trying
> to keep the cost of heat down.  Here in the states, electric heat is the
> *most* expensive heat we have.  (My rates are currently 13.5  per kwh.)
> The distance from the ceiling down left a lot to be desired.  In Maine our
> winters include several weeks of below 0  and sometimes -20  with
> additional windchill.  We need a sturdy heat source.  It never made sense
> to me--since heat rises, why start at the top?  Another problem for me was
> that the ceiling then became too "precious"--due to the coils (I'm not
> sure what was installed -- but was told the coils were actually embedded
> in the plaster)  one could not hang a lamp or even screw in a hook in the
> ceiling for a hanging plant, lest one pierce one of the cables.
>
> KVCH is planning to use hot water heated pipes embedded in poured slab for
> heat source for our homes.  This is the preferred mode according to our
> lender.  I hope it works well--because FmHA is committed to it. I like the
> idea of warm feet and cool head--especially kind to toddlers and elders.
> Since we will be self-building and a bit free-er in the design of the
> Common House, our preference is a wood furnace, easy to load and
> economical in concert with 80-100 acres of woodlot.
>
> That's my 2  worth of opinion.  Best wishes on your building!
>
> Grace Von Tobel
> Kennebec Valley CoHousing
> Kennebec County, Maine, USA
>

As an Architect and new viewer of this listing, I wish to offer my view on
this issue.  It has been my experience that if you decide to use a system as
stated above, the floor location is best.  This usually allows the space to
have relatively comfortable warmth in the most active zone.  Warm floors
provide a level of comfort which users of the room will be able to actually
sense and the nature of heat dictates that the possibilities for cold spots
in the room will be decreased.  Hope this helps.
Coleman,AIA '87
shedarch [at] gsvms2.cc.gasou.edu

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