Air-Water Heating System

I'm about to commence building a 3,500 sq ft bungalow and need to make some decisions as to what heating system to use. I am considering using zoned underfloor heating throughout- I'd appreciate some advice on what would be the most efficient heating system- i'm considering air-water but have heard that I would need a back up system for cold weather - has anyone got an air-water system installed, if so how have you found it - do you require a back up system- if so what would be best.Are solar panels a good idea to combine with air-water systems?
I want to stay away from oil/gas but dont want to spend a fortune on alternatives. Any help appreciated

If I were building now, I'd definitely be installing a decent Austrian wood-pellet boiler, tube solar panels (both of which we've had put in our 40-year old bungalow) and seriously considering a good heat return pump system (not an option for us). You can get a grant for either solar or pellet boiler - we were lucky and got both before the grant system changed. But any money you spend will be repaid in full. You need advice from a (preferably) independent energy consultant who will advise on the heat requirements of your house. Friends of our just majorly remodelled their house and spent all their money on appliances and flooring etc. They are now seriously regretting not addressing the energy issue as it will mean more upheaval for them when they get round to it. It is so much easier and cheaper to put these in when you are building. Go for it. Oh and insist on a much higher insulation spec than is in building regs. You smply can't over-insulate.

lockster said:

I want to stay away from oil/gas but dont want to spend a fortune on alternatives. Any help appreciated

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with the best will in the world, to go to alternatives means exactly that - spending. A fortune or not remains to be seen, but the capital costs for both pellet and geo are too high to actually be competitive. A highly insulated home, by dint of it's efficiency, needs less energy anyhoo, so the choice of heat becomes less critical, not more.

There are (big) hidden costs with pellet, for instance - space for the system, for a start, and the pellets - and they can't be just bunged into the garage. They are like sponges for moisture, so your garage needs to be as good as your house..........which is money.

Solar- I'm all for it, btw........

As for grants - maybe I'm out of touch, but did they not all get cancelled in the last 2 weeks, due to 'cutbacks' ?? I say this, because one of our clients was told that the grant for her 30k geo is now gone..........

Thanks for that guys- I realise we will have to spend to save in the long term but Air?Water seems a cheap alternative to geothermal with similar running costs by all accounts- I just want to see if anyone with experience of Air/Water systems has had any difficulty in very cold weather - close to freezing and below, which doesnt happen all that often but is the time it needs to work