heat????

[diamond]

I am going to build a workshop,it will be 24'x24' with R-13 walls,R-19 ceiling,and a concrete floor. I plan to live in it for a year or so,until I build a "real" house. What should I heat it with? [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[RobS]

Where do you live (climate) and what are your energy options? Sounds like a great candidate for radiant floor heating. Options for heating the water include propane, natural gas, electric, wood, coal, pellets or maybe solar. Availability and convenience along with price will be your decision factors.

Other than radiant floor, your other options are pretty much the same as a regular house. I don't like open flame (furnaces) in a wood shop, too much sawdust and finishing vapors.

Tell us a little more about your locale and we can give you all sorts of free advice [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[diamond]

OOPS!!,I forgot to tell ya I live in the mountains of East Tennessee and I would like all comments

[egon]

What will it's heating requirements be when you use it as a garage?

Egon

[diamond]

Egon,thanks for the reply. The heating should be the same,I'd like to use it in winter as well as summer. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Gary_in_Indiana]

If you fill out your profile it makes it easier for anyone to see where you are, etc. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

For something like that I think it will depend on the type of use you want to give your shop once the 'real' house is done. If it's something you'll likely keep heated then floor heat is excellent. If it's going to be an 'after work' kind of thing you're better off with either a force air or radiant system as the floor heat takes quite a while to warm up and the others start giving heat almost instantly.

I'm going to do about the same thing you propose and it'll be an 'after work' kind of thing when I'm not living there so I'm not going with the floor heat as much as I love the system. I am, however, going with a very energy efficient wall system that I'll also use in my 'real' house called structural insulated panels (SIP's). I think they'd be ideal for your structure. You can order them as large as 8' x 24' and have doors and window openings pre-cut. Do a google search for them and you'll find lots of information. I'll use SIP's exclusively for my project. The insulation is far, far superior to standard construction and I can be under roof in a day once my foundation is set.