If you are in a cooling climate you will still need the ductwork for the AC. Electric resistance heat as the sole system has MUCH more expensive operating costs than gas. Especially since fracking has greatly increased the availability of gas. The budget solution is always going to be gas forced air coupled with an air handler that handles the AC and heat. If you don't have gas available, then a heat pump makes the most financial sense.

I agree with hollysprings about the cooling aspect. If you are in a climate needing mechanical cooling then radiant heat is generally a very expensive upgrade because heat pumps can work in reverse to handle both tasks.

A whole house electric radiant system is unique as most use hydronic tubing. Really have to question choosing electric in slab over hydronic but it could make sense.

Electric makes more sense in wood framed floors and I feel it could be a cost-effective fuel source for radiant but ONLY if you have a very efficient building envelope (airtight and continuously insulated). Building Envelopes are the smartest investment in comfort and energy use and they are getting so advanced that it can take a very small amount of energy to make them comfortable. Otherwise, I would agree with hollysprings and choose NG as the fuel source but I usually avoid combustion appliances as much as possible.

Another option for powering radiant tubing is air to water (air source or ground source) heat pumps which have high upfront costs but low monthly costs. If I was doing radiant, I would put most money into the building envelope and use a tank water heater (rheem marathon) to power radiant tubing. Although, I do think an all electric system COULD make sense.

Hollysprings makes a good point that NG with forced air is a smart budget choice however, mini-split heat pumps are challenging this conventional wisdom in high performance homes. Even in heating dominated climates with NG access, I think most high performance homes are choosing mini-splits over NG furnaces and backed up central air. I think it depends on how big the house is and if occupants are ok with leaving bedroom doors open as to which one makes the most sense.

Finally, dont ignore the opportunity of passive solar design; free heat, daylighting and passive survivability with no maintenance, monthly costs and zero extra upfront costs if you design it right.

This post was edited by Brian_Knight on Sun, Aug 11, 13 at 12:19

I know this thread is old but wanted to comment for anyone else who might be wondering. I've had electric therma ray ceiling panels in my house since it was built in 1990. A very nice and comfortable heat, as well as energy efficient. HOWEVER, this past winter the panels started failing where I now have less than 40% of my capacity remaining. I'm looking at a $7,000-$9,000 cost to replace the panels. Way too high to justify. I intend to switch to electric baseboard heaters, as they are much less expensive to buy and less trouble to replace.

I had expected my panels to last a lifetime, that was the deciding factor when I originally installed them. Nice heat but I would never recommend to anyone at this point.

We also have thermal ray in floor and in ceiling. It's no cheaper than a heat pump and we ended up installing a different heating system upstairs because we didn't want to run the ceiling panels during the *peak* expensive time of day. Time of day isn't any cheaper when you consider you pay more than regular price during *peak* times.