In this Warmboard Works we hear from Mario Kani of Sustainable Edge, an Engineering firm in Toronto, Ontario.

For over a decade we have been using hydronic radiant heating and cooling in ceilings. The benefits of a fully hydronic house with moderate heating and cooling water temperatures and no recirculated forced air are many, including:

Complements low energy envelopes which require lower heating and cooling capacities
Provides better comfort
Delivers healthy indoor air
Promotes minimum noise in living spaces
Requires minimal and smaller ductwork (ventilation only)
Results in lower distribution energy (by using a pump instead of a fan)
Increased flexibility for thermal supply source such as solar or geothermal energy

Locating the radiant cooling on the ceiling provides the maximum output for a specified design surface temperature. While we have designed several projects using concrete radiant ceilings, we have found that for wood construction, Warmboard is a natural match for ceiling installation, placed just behind the drywall. Warmboard is also an ideal candidate for radiant heating in the ceiling as well, able to provide either low- or high-intensity heating during winter months.

The principle of ceiling cooling is based on average surface temperatures between 60ºF to 70ºF over a large surface area, resulting in draft-free, low-intensity cooling. The cooling surface temperature needs to be high to avoid surface condensation. This system only does sensible cooling of the living space (i.e. no moisture removal) so that dehumidification needs to be done separately. For a successful ceiling cooling installation, the project’s attributes should be as follows:

A high performance thermal envelope to minimize cooling loads through careful glazing selection and summer shading,
Significant envelope airtightness
100% outdoor air ventilation without recirculation (also known as DOAS: dedicated outdoor air system )
Ventilation heat recovery (preferably an ERV)
Dehumidification of outdoor air with 45ºF to 50ºF chilled water (e.g. directly from ground water or via ground source heat pump) resulting in drier ventilation air than room air.

We look forward to using Warmboard–R, the thinner retrofit product in our next radiant ceiling project.

Mario Kani, B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc., P.Eng., LEED® AP
President, Sustainable EDGE

124 Merton St., Suite 507
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4S 2Z2

contact [at] s-edge.com
416.477.2625

Sustainable EDGE designs using an integrated, holistic approach to system flows. Combining energy, water, air, nutrient and organic resources in their engineering methodology allows their clients to achieve the lowest possible greenhouse gas (GHG) and environmental impact. And where possible the project will make positive contributions to society and the environment.

Sustainable EDGE believes in good design, enlightened by sustainable principles and fitting best to the dynamics of each building goals.

They offer the following Consulting, Designing, Planning and Net Zero engineering services.

Wilf Scheuer of Pro-Star Mechanical talks to us about a unique build on top of a mountain on Gulf Island in British Columbia.

“We’ve been quite happy with our Warmboard experience, had no issues whatsoever. It was easy to work with, and we’ve done a number of Warmboard projects. I think we may have done the first Warmboard ever in BC and we recommend it highly.

Warmboard was a good product for this particular job because it’s on a remote access Gulf Island. The project is on the top of a mountain above Mayne Island, so it’s quite cold up there as compared to being lower down. It took them five years to finish the job, but it’s a really beautiful architecturally designed home, the best views in the world I’ve ever seen. It overlooks the ocean, Active Pass, and the other islands.

So when talking to the client we gave different options and both the client and ourselves found that Warmboard was the best solution. The owner wanted a high quality system that was compatible with a geothermal heat pump because we drilled three holes 350 FT deep into the mountain.

With the combination of Warmboard, geothermal and the water furnace heat pump he’s got an excellent system that runs reliably and is economical. It’s economical to heat the home as compared to other fuel pipes in the Gulf Islands, which would normally be oil, propane or straight electric, so he’s probably saving 70% of heating costs as compared to traditional sources and it has really good performance.

We find that the heat is very, very even throughout the home and is quite satisfying. It has a lot of glass in there too so in homes with large amounts of glass it’s important to have good distribution systems for your radiant heat so that heat is applied evenly throughout the home so you’re not getting cold sitting by a window.

Overall, Warmboard seemed to be a really neat package that had good performance of heating; he liked the idea of a smooth floor, extra structure, and that he could use it for temporary heating even before the floor was finished.

Aside from the fact that Warmboard gives you very even heat, it seems to move the job along quickly. For the heating contractor it gives you a good guide for installing. The installation ease and performance of the product is superior to other methods like concrete topping or stapling underneath and insulating. With Warmboard you just have to snap the tubing in there with a rubber mallet.

We’ve worked with Uponor quite a bit and Watts, and in slab, under slab, under joist, topping on top of plywood, ceiling radiant, wall radiant, virtually every way of possibly doing it, and I think the Warmboard situation probably is the simplest and easiest… an elegant solution to radiant heating a home.”

Pro Star is a family owned and operated full-service mechanical contracting business dedicated to serving the HVAC needs of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Island communities with honesty and integrity since 1988.

Victoria @ prostar-mechanical.com
www.prostar-mechanical.com
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