Is the basement heated? We have Nu-Heat under the tile in our M-bath. You can go to their site and figure cost per square foot for the product. It's easy to install. Your tile person can lay it under the tile -- easy to hook up the thermostat, but you'll need a designated elec. line. We also have hot water tubing under North-facing rooms in our house -- a retro-fit thanks to a stupid HVAC guy who didn't plan adequate forced air heat for those rooms. Had we known we needed the hot water heat we could have adapted a water heater for supply; we had to buy a separate tiny boiler. I wish we had the hot water heat under ALL our flooring. Those are now the most comfy rooms in the house!

Thanks, I will take a look at lowes. I'm still on the fence about an electric or water system. I assume the water system would be cheaper to operate (gas water heater, but it's an older model, 92) I was looking at menards the other day at water systems and for a 2 zone 1000 sq ft system was similiar price to an electric kit. This isn't counting lumber or tubing costs though, I think the water system would end up more expensive to install but may be cheaper to operate? Looking for any advice from the "pros" or at least someone who has put in either type of system. Thanks in advance

If you already have a boiler and hydronic heating in your house, it makes sense to tap into the existing system and heat the basement off the same boiler. Your cost for heating the basement will be only incrementally higher than what is now costing you to heat the rest of the house. Electric heating in the basement would would probably cost many times more. If the heating guy who gave you the $2900 price is the same guy who installed your boiler or heating system, then it probably makes sense to have him do the work. He knows the system. You might ask him if there's any other way of tapping into the existing system that might cost less. Perhaps running baseboard radiators that begin on the wall enclosing the boiler room (I'm assuming your boiler is somewhere in the basement), or something else. If the heating guy is someone that hasn't worked in your house before, then why not get a couple of other estimates from other firms. Another outfit may offer a better solution that's less costly, or perhaps, just have lower overhead and do the work for less. Since you plan to be in the house for many years, I'd encourage you to avoid the electric solution. What you save up front will probably cost you much more in the long run.

OK, 180˚F water temperature, 20-yr old boiler, 150-yr old house already reveals quite a lot. You probably have a mix of everything from cast iron radiators to copper tube aluminum plate base board emitters. Knowing how the piping from the boiler is configured will at least in part determine the water temperature that will reach the new basement emitters. If it’s a series configuration such that the basement emitters receive the hot water last before returning to the boiler, the water temperature will be at its lowest. If your system is piped that all emitters are in parallel, then they all get about the same water temperature whether the emitter is first or last. Even if the water temperature has dropped because its a series piping that still can be OK if the new basement emitters (fan coils) are sized for a lower water temperature with the correct water flow rate emitting the designed amount of Btu. I understand that financial resources might be limited. I would suggest consulting with a professional that is at the top of their hydronic game and understand all the various piping configurations not only for the basement Reno that you’re planning now but for future upgrades down the road as well. One of the most important things to know is that regardless the source of hydronic water heating (electric, oil, gas) is that the lower the water temperature your system requires - the more money you will save and the more efficient the system will be. Water temperature matters; piping, pumps, zone valves and controls all matter. The other thing to be aware of for the future is that air-to-water hydronic heat pumps are here, they are operationally the least expensive way to hydronically heat and cool, except for geothermal - if you can get you supply water temperature and system to function well down at about 120˚F and below. Hydronic heat pumps can also supply full capacity hot water in many cases. Future renovations involving air-to-water hydronic heat pumps could also supply full central hydronic cooling with zoning and dehumidification - without ever having to install any ductwork. This is a great option for heritage homes where you want to preserve the original look an d feel of the home as well as its heritage value. The link below for reference, is to but 1-type of system, with every passing year they are coming on-line to market - fast ! Taco System M IMPO SR