sha - i'm pretty sure this is the route i'm going to go with for my new HVAC system. i've already entered into discussions with several manufacturers. i'm even looking into using this same system for some limited cooling and possibly combining it with a solar hot water heating system.
the cooling aspects of the system is pretty neat. my application will call for one loop to be embedded into a new basement floor and another loop to be " stapled-up " under the living area floor. in the summer months when you're not using the loops to heat with they install a diverter valve so when you use any outside water for car washing or lawn watering the ground water ( about 52 degrees around here ) is first pumped through the loops before it comes out of the outside faucet. so in essence your heating loop is included into your outdoor water supply loop. while this surely won't provide all the cooling load a home may need it certainly is a good use of " free " cooling energy. luckily for me i think i'll be able to use my current HVAC system to provide the additional cooling needs.
i absolutely love new technologies like this. and the good part about hydronic heating is that it's really an old system that has been updated with some of the newer technologies that have come out. instead of using old copper or cast iron plumbing they use new plastic piping. therefore lowering the cost and increasing the efficiency.
i'm trying to figure out a way to also heat my pool and take advantage of some passive solar gains as well. i'll compile some links as i go along and let you add them to the links page.
sha - " I am planning to build a workshop about 30'x40' and I am thinking about heating it. "
the basement of my new addition will be fully dedicated to a woodworking and car shop. it seems to me like hydronic heating would be the perfect answer to your heating needs for this application. there's no hot electrodes or open flame pilot lights so your chance of a flash fire is reduced. this system uses radiant heating so all of your shop equipment actually becomes thermal masses to absorb and release the heat.
the only problem i could foresee for you is this system is not an instant on system. meaning that it takes awhile for the building to reach any type of increased temperature. so you'll have to use the hydronic heat to control a basic temperature and some type of auxiliary system if you want to suddenly increase the temperature. but if you're like me you'll probably spend more time in the shop than you do in your house.
there's also the point of wanting to keep all of your expensive equipment at some type of consistent temperature to avoid rusting if nothing else. i have an out building in my backyard and anything that i put out there seems to get some surface rust on it over the winter.
i'm also designing a pretty inexpensive and practical combination parts washer, water washer and wood stripper tank using a large horse watering trough and 3 interchangeable containment drums. more on that as i get into the final build stages.
but back to the hot water system. the thing i like about this is there is no forced air movement in the shop. the dust a shop will create will kill a regular furnace in a short amount of time. not to mention circulating it all over the shop. using a hydronic heating system combined with a well designed central vacuum and dust removal system seems like a much cleaner and healthier way to go IMO.
Market Data 
Markets 
AI
