On 26/10/2020 10:51, Vir Campestris wrote:
It used to be we had open fires. But then hot water radiators came in -
much cleaner, and easier to manage.

Nowadays we seem to be moving towards underfloor heating - where
effectively the entire floor is a radiator. Efficient, but slow to respond.

But there was a time when hot air systems were popular, and I think
still are in the USA.

Does anyone know why they went out of fashion? It can't just be because
they made a great place for spiders to hide!

Andy

It's partly to do with comfort, warm air circulating can feel like a
draught. We used to set ours at 25c but also needed a radiant heater in
addition to feel comfortable.

Stub duct systems can be economical to instal but if long duct runs are
needed that can get expensive to install.

I guess its mostly that in the UK most peoples idea of central heating
is a boiler and rads.(up to now at any rate)

Underfloor is mainly for new builds or major refurbs where it can be
more advantageous.

In the end it is just changing trends.