Garage heat
For radiant floor heating, is it better to go with electric, or hot water?
Depends on the cost of "fuel." Get with your local utilitites/ LPG and fuel oil suppliers who can give you cost per BTU or per unit measure of fuel. Then figure BTU. Bear in mind that
Electric is essentially 100% efficient except for WHAT BETTER BE a very small amount lost in wiring, and of course building losses, which would be same as for any fuel. But do not confuse heating appliance efficiency with fuel cost/ BTU
LPG/ NAT gas can be as high as "in the 90's % AFUE. Oil is somewhat lower I have not kept up with current oil burner efficiency. Guessing 80% But as you get higher and higher burner efficiency, they are all more "tweeky" and can have high maintenance problems. "For me" an 80%+ unit is "bang for buck"
"The old crap" I used to maintain that was still around in the 80-s--90's was termed "70%" and the 80+% stuff had come out and doing well. 90+% (condensing furnaces) MANY had long term maintenance problems. Before the demise of Lennox Pulse furnaces, they could achieve 97% AFUE in some cases. The vent gases (through PVC pipe) were colder than the output air from the plenum. Also avoid 90%/ condensing furnaces in areas ---like a garage---where freezing is an issue.
I doubt like 'ell that electric is relatively cheap in that area. We, here, in the N end of Idaho, have one of the cheaper electric rates, with lots of hydro power on tap
