• By Hanover Plumbing
• In Central Heating, Tips
• Tags Central Heating, Ducted Air Heating, Home Heating, In-Slab heating, NZ Homes, Radiators, Underfloor heating

Central Heating: Radiators, Ducted Air or In-slab?

We’ve already convinced you that Central Heating is the way to go when heating your house, but how do you decide between the options available? Choosing your fuel type should be an easy decision and next is the type of system. There are pros and cons to all of them and sometimes the style of house you have may dictate which is most suitable.

What Kinds of Central Heating Exist?

There are three main system options for central heating:

• Radiators: exposed pipe units are installed in rooms and are connected to a piping system that runs throughout the house, circulating fluid to transfer the heat
• Ducted Air: ducting is installed either under the house or above the ceiling with vents opening up in each room, air is circulated through the vents to warm up the home
• In-slab: also known as Underfloor Heating, this is where a piping system is installed directly into a concrete floor in a building, providing radiant heat throughout

Two of the systems (radiators and underfloor heating) offer radiant heat. This means that the air is not directly heated, but that the surfaces and items in the room carry the heat radiating from the pipes. Ducted air simply heats the air. You’ll find air doesn’t hold heat as long as most surfaces or furniture. Some people find that radiators and underfloor systems heat a whole room more effectively than ducted air systems.

How Are They Alike?

The systems share some positive attributes, such as controlling them by setting a thermostat so it’s always warm enough in your home. Many of them also allow you to set programs to match your routines. Some of them allow you to control certain zones of the system independent of other zones (perfect if one person in your household likes their room cool and someone else likes their room warm.)

Smart placement of radiators or vents can help with the comfort of a dry towel. You can get rid of your electric towel rail with a couple of options. You can connect a rail directly to your radiator, or place a ducted-air vent underneath a normal towel rail. They can also assist with drying laundry inside if it’s too rainy to hang the washing out.

What are the Pros and Cons of Each?

Radiators

Pros

• Radiators are quiet as they do not rely on fans to move the heat
• They provide even heat throughout the house
• Radiators can be retro-fitted into an existing house

Cons

• Visible pipes do not appeal to everyone, though the styles and colour options have improved drastically
• Placement affects how easily the heat moves in a room so you can’t crowd them too much

Ducted-Air System

Pros

• Most of them have a fan for summertime to circulate air (great as the night air cools)
• Forced-air heating can be retrofitted into an existing house

Cons

• You can hear the fans when the system is running (many are quiet though)
• The system may need to turn on more often to maintain the heat
• The vents are visible in the floor

Underfloor Heating

Pros

• It warms from the ground up, so your feet will always be warm
• There’s no noise created by the system
• No visible heaters or heating vents

Cons

• Not easily retrofitted into an existing house
• Made for concrete floors only so your building plans will require a concrete slab

If you are building new, we always recommend underfloor heating but existing houses have variations that will affect which system is best. Some houses may not have enough space for ducting so radiators might be the best. Sometimes the client has a preference for a system and we can consult to advise on the details of different models. At Hanover Plumbing, we love answering questions about central heating so get in touch with us to start the conversation!