Can Under floor heating systems be incorporated to existing concrete floored School buildings?

Can Under floor heating systems be incorporated to existing concrete floored School buildings?
The existing concrete floor school buildingis 5000 Sq.m in area with 3 storey's, located in Scotland. The space heating of the building is being served with a boiler located at the basement. Can this existing boiler be used to supply under-floor heating? If yes, can the heat distribution be controlled, for example by users or sensors? How much floor thickness would the heating coils need? Is it going to be very costly or would it serve to be a good solution in the long run? Can the heat radiated from the floor, be re-captured in the ceiling and assist in heating the floors above, hence saving energy? Are there any better solutions for heating an existing building built in the 60's in Scotland, rather than under-floor heating? I was attracted to under floor heating since, it does not consume the space required by the radiators, and that it may be expensive to install, but worth it over a period of time.


Answers:

matthew i:  there are cheaper and easier ways to heat the building. radiant floor will just keep your toes warm. geo-thermal will be the best in the long run but it is expensive.
2007-07-30 17:45:06
Sarge1572:  Yes you can. It's actually a pretty straighforward installation. The cement floor doesn't need any work done to it.

The radiant heat floor installs OVER (on top of) the cement floor. this new floor is glued down to the existing cement floor. The new "sub" floor has a track already cut in the flooring for the heating elements, in this case either copper tubing or high density plastic tubing, to lay in. Each room can be individually controlled. The "floor" that we walk on is a floating floor that is glued together and lays on top, or you can actually pour a NEW floor on top of the now installed radiant heat floor, although I don't like this installation as much.

Lots of information on the net. below is just one site. google (or yahoo) radiant heat underfloor for more.

Pretty simple installation. One big plus is you don't have to do the entire building all at once.
2007-07-30 17:46:21
Robert S:  The only way I can think this would work is if you tiled the existing concrete, that way you could put heat under the tile ( coils of course ) and control it with a simple thermostat.
2007-07-30 17:50:29
Chosen Answer
Who Yah:  Underfloor heating does not heat a room to ceiling height - this is part of its benefit and means "no" to your point about transferring heat through a ceiling. It does not cause the currents that radiators do. It heats spaces to around two meters up from the floor in a very stable manner because of the huge area of the "radiator", i.e. the whole floor.We have underfloor heating in our house and it is wonderful but it was put in when the house was built - concrete slab and timber frame construction. From my knowledge of it, it would be a no go for an existing building as you describe though I am no expert.
You are right that wall space is saved - in our home there is very little solid wall, many walls being glazed but unless the whole building is designed around these principles I think underfloor heating is a no go area as an afterthought; except for, maybe, a conservatory or extension added to a house. I think that installing underfloor heating in a typical 60's building as described is probably not cost effective.
Better insulation of walls, windows & roof may be a more effective solution and perhaps using solar panels but this would probably mean changing the boiler itself.
2007-07-30 17:57:25
grizzbr1:  It will never be worth the expense, especially in a 40 year old building. It would be much more cost effective to replace all the windows with the most efficient thermal windows you can find and install some ceiling fans to mix the air.
2007-07-30 18:08:51
JOHN M:  I'm afraid that underfloor heating in the building you describe is a very bad idea!

The type of system you need requires a complete new heating system and a 50-75mm sand and cement screed very very costly, new floor coverings taking 3" off all doors new skirtings the list goes on!

firstly improve efficiency

An up to date boiler

replace old radiators replace thermostats

improve insulation in the wall roof and windows

replace light fittings

install renewable energy

all are far more reliable and will give a far better saving than underfloor heating which is 98% asthetics 2% saving
2007-07-30 18:21:28