[Strawbale] Forced air

[dfugler at cmhc-schl.gc.ca]

Mark,

You are probably having to keep the temperature higher in Saskatchewan 
than in England because the walls and windows are colder, not because of 
the change from radiant to forced air heating. The difference between an 
outside temperature of 5°C and - 35°C is substantial. You will have 
increased radiant loss to an outside wall or window when the termperature 
outside is far lower (we could discuss relative wall insulation levels but 
we won't).

As far as the assertion that radiant heated houses have lower thermostat 
settings, I had heard that frequently as well. So I hired a student in 
Nova Scotia to check a sample of each type of house: radiant flooring and 
forced air. Here is the link to the results: 
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/odpub/pdf/62675.pdf

Thermostat settings were the same for the forced air and radiant flooring 
houses. The radiant heating industry didn't like the study. They said it 
was not big enough, and that we did not measure comfort created in those 
houses. I challenged them to do their own study, or help us create a 
bigger survey. So far they have not come up with the money to verify their 
assertions.

Don Fugler
CMHC Policy and Research