5 ms·

> (turns out most countries don't pump hot water around their houses!) At the risk of sounding ignorant, what's the alternative that other countries use? Simpl

> (turns out most countries don't pump hot water around their houses!) At the risk of sounding ignorant, what's the alternative that other countries use? Simply electricity?

simonbarker87 10y ago
Basically, yep. Straight up electric heaters are very popular in some places (eg: Scandinavia, New Zealand), some kind of forced air heating or ventilation either on a room by room basis or from a central heat source (essentially air con that can heat and cool) or under floor heating (either electric or water based). New technologies such as Passivhaus, ground source and air source heat pumps are also changing the heat landscape quite a bit (if on a small scale at the moment).
- danielsamuels 10y ago
  Very interesting, thank you for sharing your knowledge!
- OJFord 10y ago
  Central heating seems seriously overdue some innovation. Radiator's are so ugly, but what can you do? I've never known anyone have underfloor heating upstairs, though I'm not sure if there are technical reasons preventing that. It astounds me that new developments still get white steel atrocities strapped to the walls, among other things like white plastic UX-disaster thermostats.
  - simonbarker87 10y ago
    Agreed but the UK (assuming you are UK based) made such a hash of forced air the first time around that it's unlikely to ever see much uptake. You can do electric underfloor upstairs but water is a no go upstairs unless you are concreting. The best balance is water based underfloor downstairs, underfloor electric in upstairs bathrooms + a heated towel rail (water or electric) and then water filled radiators upstairs that either run off a traditional boiler or an air source heat pump. You could use a ground source heat pump but, depending on how far north one is this can land up freezing the ground and creating a kind of localised permafrost unless you run the system backward in the summer. You could also use solr thermal if happy with balck panels on the roof.
    - maxerickson 10y ago
      Why not underfloor radiant on upper floors? This Old House tends to work high end projects, but I remembered watching this: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/retrofitting-radiant-heating https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/retrofitting-radiant-heat...
sjburt 10y ago
Most buildings in the US use warm air. This means the same ducts can be used for both heating and cooling. There will be a central gas (or less frequently, oil) furnace or a heat pump. I think that switch occurred in the 1950s. Older homes might have steam heat, or sometimes electric baseboard heaters.
- maxerickson 10y ago
  Hot water is also pretty common. I guess more so in areas where cooling is less needed.
  - simonbarker87 10y ago
    Yeah although it tends to be the cast iron radiator style rather than the steel panel type that is ubiquitous in the UK. I think the US market for steel panel radiators is something like 50,000 units a year compared to the UK's 2-3 million panels annually.

> (turns out most countries don't pump hot water around their houses!) At the risk of sounding ignorant, what's the alternative that other countries use? Simply electricity?

simonbarker87 10y ago

Basically, yep. Straight up electric heaters are very popular in some places (eg: Scandinavia, New Zealand), some kind of forced air heating or ventilation either on a room by room basis or from a central heat source (essentially air con that can heat and cool) or under floor heating (either electric or water based). New technologies such as Passivhaus, ground source and air source heat pumps are also changing the heat landscape quite a bit (if on a small scale at the moment).

danielsamuels 10y ago
Very interesting, thank you for sharing your knowledge!
OJFord 10y ago
Central heating seems seriously overdue some innovation. Radiator's are so ugly, but what can you do? I've never known anyone have underfloor heating upstairs, though I'm not sure if there are technical reasons preventing that. It astounds me that new developments still get white steel atrocities strapped to the walls, among other things like white plastic UX-disaster thermostats.
- simonbarker87 10y ago
  Agreed but the UK (assuming you are UK based) made such a hash of forced air the first time around that it's unlikely to ever see much uptake. You can do electric underfloor upstairs but water is a no go upstairs unless you are concreting. The best balance is water based underfloor downstairs, underfloor electric in upstairs bathrooms + a heated towel rail (water or electric) and then water filled radiators upstairs that either run off a traditional boiler or an air source heat pump. You could use a ground source heat pump but, depending on how far north one is this can land up freezing the ground and creating a kind of localised permafrost unless you run the system backward in the summer. You could also use solr thermal if happy with balck panels on the roof.
  - maxerickson 10y ago
    Why not underfloor radiant on upper floors? This Old House tends to work high end projects, but I remembered watching this: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/retrofitting-radiant-heating https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/retrofitting-radiant-heat...

sjburt 10y ago

Most buildings in the US use warm air. This means the same ducts can be used for both heating and cooling. There will be a central gas (or less frequently, oil) furnace or a heat pump. I think that switch occurred in the 1950s. Older homes might have steam heat, or sometimes electric baseboard heaters.

maxerickson 10y ago
Hot water is also pretty common. I guess more so in areas where cooling is less needed.
- simonbarker87 10y ago
  Yeah although it tends to be the cast iron radiator style rather than the steel panel type that is ubiquitous in the UK. I think the US market for steel panel radiators is something like 50,000 units a year compared to the UK's 2-3 million panels annually.