Radiant Flooring
Unlike forced-air heating, radiant flooring doesn't stir up dust or allergens, and cuts down on heat loss. A forced-air system pulls air out of a room, heats it, and then puts it back into the room. This cycle causes air pressure in the house, which pushes warm air out through openings at doors and windows. When you use radiant flooring to heat a room, the air pressure issue doesn't exist, so more of the heat stays inside. Even when you open a door, there will be heat loss, but the room will recover its heat quickly. There are always two sides to every coin. The forced air system can be used for air conditioning as well. And you can integrate filters to keep the air cleaner. You don't get those options with radiant flooring.
When choosing radiant heating systems, your choices are electric and hydronic (water) systems. The contractor who installs the system should be able to determine the best method of installation and the cheaper system. I recommend asking for prices on both systems.
The answer will depend on whether or not you are starting from scratch with your subflooring, or working around existing conditions, the type of floor you will have, energy costs in your area, and how much you want to spend.
I should also point out that heated flooring systems should only be used with rigid flooring like stone tile or hardwood. Flexible materials, like linoleum flooring or cork flooring are not appropriate. The walking surface will become wavy and uneven.
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Therefore, if you live where cooling is needed, you will still need air conditioning equipment. The one exception to this is if you use a heat pump to warm your water. This equipment can also provide cooling in the summer.
