Effects of controls and floor construction of radiant floor heating systems for residential application with high variability of solar gains

Abstract

This article discusses various reactive and predictive controllers, with and without setback, and floor construction, for radiant floor heating in a single-detached house in a cold climate, with high variability in solar gains. Heating energy to the floor and occupant comfort was evaluated. Modeling showed that in general, lower thermal mass floors performed better in cases with lower solar gains variability (lower south-facing glazing area). For high solar gains variability, floors with higher mass tended to provide better comfort, as long as the tubes were located near the surface of the floor. Temperature setback generally was found to provide modest heating energy savings and decreased overheating periods. Proportional–integral–derivative (PID) and outdoor temperature reset with indoor temperature feedback controllers were found to generally perform the best for all cases. It was found that proper selection of controller and floor construction can make a difference in heating energy demand by as much as 25%.