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My wife and I are planning a retirement home in the Rockies. We would prefer to install radiant heat in the floors when we build. But, we'd also like to have some way to cool the house during the summer other than just opening the windows and using fans.
The region where we'll be living tends to experience forest fires during the summer, so indoor air quality can be a big issue during fire season if you rely on open windows to keep cool -- we want to be able to close the windows when the air's smoky and not be miserable.
To install traditional A/C would involve ductwork throughout the house -- at that point, we might as well go with central, forced air heating also. We'd like to avoid this and retain the idea of radiant head ... anybody know of any workable, affordable alternatives to central air when using radiant heat?
Radiant heat in the floors is more comfortable than forced air heat. Just because you install ducts for AC doesn't mean you have to use them for heat, too. But there are other ways - there are "mini duct" systems that use pipes or hoses that fit in walls without the large size of standard ducts. Also, look into "ductless" or "split system" air conditioning. It works great. The compressor is outdoors, and hoses run the refrigerant to wall-mounted blower units.
Recently installed radiant in my parents home and there are systems which both heat and cool, according to the company which designed the system. It involved having 2 separate loops of pipe, one for each usage, and I don't remember how they handled the condensation issue. But if the salesman was not making it all up, there is a product available. I only remember the brand names -Noritz and Zurn pex. If you can once find someone who does it you should be on yoour way. Luck!
Have heard good things about the above mentioned systems also.
