Lucky13

Hi All,
Firstime homeowner I stumbled across this site and found it very informitive. Our central heating unit is in need of replacement for a number of reasons. A freind of mine suggested installing under floor heating. Hydro-something. Apperantly heated liquid flowing through tubes heats the floor. My question is (as we are in San Francisco) does any one have an opinion on energy efficiency as well as cost to convert to this? Thanks in advance

glennjanie

Hello Lucky and Welcome to the Forum:
It depends on what you are replacing. If you already have a duct systme, it would seem a shame to abandon it; you could use a high efficency heat pump.
The heat in the floor is the most comfortable heat you can get, bar none. It's silent, can even be run off a domestic water heater and lets you go barefoot even in the coldest weather. There are high efficency water boilers also that do a wonderful job. But, what about air conditioning? You can't make that work from pipes in the floor; it requires a seperate system. Sanyo and Mitsubishi have ductless air conditioners that will cool up to 3 good sized rooms and are very high efficency too.
Glenn