New condo forced air heating -- expensive to run?

I have an HV/AC unit. Average cost is $250 per month for my place which is pretty large - 2200 sq ft duplex. The key to those kinds of machines is: make sure the thermostat is not in the kitchen where it tends to be warmer there fore not registering the actual temp in the rest of the house. In the winter my gas bill is higher and in the summer the electric bill is higher. Spring I don't really need to use it that much.

I have water-sourced forced-air HVAC. Costs $300 a month on average, to heat my 2000sqft high-ceiling loft.

More in Summer when the fans run for longer to keep it cool. Less in Spring/fall when temps are ok.

The problem with forced air heat is that, too often, it is DRY!! TERRIBLY DRY!

Dwayne - good point. My apt is dry as a bone during our non-humid winter months... I run several humidifiers to take the edge off, but wish I had an hvac installation with a humidifier...

Can one add a humidifier to an HVAC installation on an individual unit? Or does it have to be done building-wide? Like Jeremy, my apt is bone dry in winter; last winter i literally shrivalled up into a piece of lint and blew away ...

Dwayne is correct--forced air heating is uber-drying and headache producing. It is a personal deal-killer for me.

I feel the same way about radiators. I was SO glad to leave the apartment that had one.

I have one of the combo units. Does its job... having the digital thermostat is nice, but I think programmable is key there.

Would also love programmable windows / ventsthat let the heat out during the day, then close when the ac turns on an hour before I get home.

Sorta like the Prius I guess.

I also have much more of a problem with radiator heat than with forced air heat.

I lived in a building with radiator heat and had to run humidifiers constantly (literally 24/7 in living room and bedroom), moisturize my entire body twice a day, and still I had extremely dry skin that itched constantly.

Now I have a heat pump, I've given away the humidifiers, and the only moisturizing I need to do is for vanity.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Yeah, my folks have forced air, and its still 100x better than my old radiator.

So if BOTH forced air and radiators are bad choices...what would be optimal?

Forced air from a central air-handler that can add moisture. That's what office buildings, museums, etc., use.

Your standard radiator or under-window PTAC isn't going to do that, so all you can do is run a humidifier and spend a lot of time filling it with water.

i really like forced air because i think i can regulate it well. do run cheap humidifiers in our bedrooms if somebody is sick, but not all the time - just once in awhile. i think that looking at how well your walls are insulated and what kind of windows you have is important to your monthly costs. also, higher floors will be warmer. it's pretty much apt by apt for costs due to the insulation issue. if you find a place you like, but it's not well insulated, it's a pretty easy process to have more insulation blown into the walls or ceilings. ask questions. i really dislike radiator because they can get beat up, and prevent you sometimes from putting furniture where you want to. i also think that really never look too good.

There are plenty of humidifier options for residential forced air systems. They generally use a wand that sprays a fine mist into the outbound duct from the furnace, or a sponge-type roller that continuously spins through a pan of water at low RPMs. Both need a water line. Use the Google for more details.

I consider underfloor hot water radiant heating to be optimal. Highly efficient and completely out of sight. If you install it in a concrete subfloor as it is poured, the concrete acts as a massive heat sink and makes it incredibly efficient. The tubing can also be laid on top of existing floors or under wood subflooring between joists, but will need hotter water and be slightly less efficient as a result.

Neither solution is an option for an existing apartment building in which only the unit owner seeks change.

Alan, you've been very against communal living today. This morning you were anti-small building. Now anti-large building. Not very communist of you alan.

I'm not sure what part of "So if BOTH forced air and radiators are bad choices...what would be optimal?" mentioned anything about existing apartment buildings in which only the unit owner seeks a change.

And of course, if you're referring to humidifiers for residential forced air systems, then I'm not sure how you reconcile your dismissive statement with units that have their own individual HVAC systems. I've seen a number of new construction buildings in which each unit has its own forced air furnace.