I'm going to have to replace my furnace and hot water heater next year so I'm exploring some options. One of the biggest things I have to consider is up front cost and on going cost. Currently I have a forced air gas furnace and gas water heater.
I'm curious to know if replacing the furance with a radiant floor heating setup would be cheaper. I'm bascially looking for some ballpark, rough estimate answers that would tell me which of the following would be cheaper to install:
Option 1:
DIY radian heating where I run the pipes and do all other plumbing, but have a pro install the gas water heater that would heat both the house water and the floors. DIY installation of a blower unit for the air conditioner. (since there's no more furnace blower)
Option 2:
Have a pro install a new forced air gas furnace and a gas water heater. Connect the air conditioner to the new furnance blower.
I know prices vary depending on which modles, etc. I choose and provide different efficiency levels, but let's assume a mid quality/price/efficiency point for both systems. If the comments I receive point to the DIY radian floor heating installation being way cheaper I would do more research. If both options are pretty much on par, then I would probably just have a new furnace installed since I don't have to do as much work.
Btw, I'm located in Ontario, Canada.
Thanks for all the comments, Harry