For condos in a 6-unit bldg, is individual forced air heat cheaper than steam radiators on a common boiler?
Question by chi_chica: For condos in a 6-unit bldg, is person forced air warmth less costly than steam radiators on a widespread boiler?
I have read that water-based radiators are much far more productive and pleasant than forced air, but I can’t discover comparisons for steam radiators. With steam, you can not control the temperature of person radiators (so some rooms are terribly overheated while other people are freezing) and boilers are apparently often oversized due to the fact they were put in/sized just before the creation of double-hung windows and other weather conditions proofing units resulting in a lot of waste. In addition, all of the individuals in our constructing keep various hrs, which means that several of us are having to pay for warmth we do not use and occasionally do not want (like at night). Our heating bill is tremendous–in the neighborhood of $ 300-$ 400 a month per unit for a 1200s ft apt. Also, none of us have central air, which would be a fantastic benefit to getting forced air heat (use the identical ducts for a/c). I imagine central AC would also be much more successful. Does any person know what helps make the most economic feeling or in which to appear for solutions?
Best remedy:
Remedy by Floyd B
Altering to compelled air in an outdated constructing that has stem warmth would be a costly activity.
Check with a heating contractor & see if you can get some numbers & if in simple fact it can be produced to work.
Know greater? Go away your own remedy in the remarks!
Get some quotes from an HVAC company. Todays furnaces are much more efficient than even those of 10 years ago, let alone steam heat.
“Radiant” heating does not have to be the old radiators on the walls anymore…. you can have radiant heat lines installed in floors, or ceilings now, or, there are even some small units that look like electric baseboard heaters.
Bottom line for myself?? If its a ‘condo’… I own it… Id rather have forced air than the old radiators any day, heheheh.
Check with your electric utility also, when getting prices on new systems… you can sometimes get rebates, or credits, by switching over to electric furnaces.
First thing I would do, would be to get some quotes coming in by the local HVAC dealers.
Good Luck
In the Southwest where they don’t have a heat problem they use forced air but, in the colder climates where the winter temps drop down there, the heaters with a boiler is better.