Comparison of heating system : focusing on costs

Abstract: The purpose of this report was to compare different types of commonly occurring waterborne heating systems to see which of the alternatives has the lowest total cost in terms of materials and labor costs. The work is based on a reconstruction of an ongoing project of the rescue station in Varberg Municipality in Halland County.   The comparison was made so that all the alternatives would have the same indoor climate as possible.The systems that were dimensioned and compared were radiators / convectors, underfloor heating, and heat strips. It turned out that heat strips had the lowest total cost of about SEK 145,000 compared to the underfloor heating alternative, which turned out to be the most expensive with a price tag of about SEK 270,000. The system of radiators / convectors lies in between with a total cost of about SEK 200,000. Heat strips had the lowest total cost, which is due to the fact that the material cost were lower compared to the other systems.The high cost of the underfloor heating system has to do with the fact that there is extensive plumbing and material prices. In addition to these, the foundation needs additional insulation when applying underfloor heating. This extra cost of the additional insulation is not included in this project and will thus be higher than the figure I landed in.All systems have pros and cons. Which type of business affects and thus controls the choice of heating systems in a building. All the systems compared have a long life expectancy, that’s why this report did not compare that aspect more closely. The conclusion for the report was that apart from the business, one should choose a system with heat strips. Furthermore, the operation is not something that one can disregard if it is to have practical bearing and is therefore at least as important as the total cost of the systems. Thus, on the basis of this report, one should take into account total costs as well as planned type of business when deciding on a particular heating system. It is also important to plan carefully for upcoming heating strokes so that the distances becomes short while they are placed in construction. As an add-on, an alternative with comfort modules has been mentioned which is economically advantageous from a heating system perspective. This option is more complicated and encompasses more systems thereof, it is only included as an add-on in the report.