My first reaction is having a separate zone for a toe kick radiator in a small kitchen (120 sq ft?) seems to be overkill. Kitchens are typically the warmest room in the house due to the heat from the stove and refrigerator. But your kitchen may be coldest room in the house because of its location in relationship to the boiler, the number of windows, and if it has an exterior door. You may have an opinion from previous winters.

There is no argument having a separate zone for the kitchen will give the best temperature control. The question is if it is necessary. If the old radiator was small and the kitchen is open to the rest of the house, then it is likely the separate zone is not needed.

What you could do is not put in the separate zone now, but see if it possible to pipe the toe kick radiator so that adding a separate zone later will be relatively easy. I would also run the wiring for a thermostat so it will be an easy hook up at the time of installation.

I would have the contractor explain how theyâÂÂre going to configure this zone so that it doesnâÂÂt trigger unnecessary and inefficient short cycling in the boiler.

Have you looked at other âÂÂstylesâ of kitchen radiators?

SR

Here is a link that might be useful: Jaga

mike_home - Thanks for your comments. I also had the idea of installing it without the additional zone and then determining whether its needed after I get into heating season. All the zone's new pipes would be in the basement, so they could be added later.

fsq4cw - Your question also occurred to me, since that one toe kick would probably call for hot water more frequently. However, in my internet research I have not found homeowners with that complaint about a toe kick.
Do you know of an alternate radiator type that would have similar characteristics to the old cast iron? All the new European-style ones appear to be much lighter weight, and I assume that affects heat retention characteristics.
The existing radiator is short, but 7 rows deep. It worked okay under the old sink, but its design won't allow space for a garbage disposal. If I try to fit a radiator out in the kitchen under the side window it could be long (36") and tall (28"), but I'd like it as narrow as possible.

Thanks,

Bruce

This post was edited by bcarlson78248 on Fri, Jul 26, 13 at 5:57

Here is a company which makes unique looking radiators as an alternative to the toe kick design. You can get a radiator which is only two inches deep.

Here is a link that might be useful: Runtal Radiators