types of heating

It depends on the building's boiler. I am assuming is a large building so it should be powerful enough. I live in a small unit and the heating sucks. When is really cold out, like 30 or below, it can't heat up the apt above 60 and it was at 55 a couple of months ago.

I think is called based board heating. Is not a common system in the city but I guess some buildings don't want to upgrade. You probably should test it out tomorrow night to see if the temperature in the rooms can reach 70 degrees before you sign the lease.

This is actually called radiant heating. It has been used and older and more modern buildings and technically can work with electric or natural gas / oil boilers. The most common form that I have seen is electric which can be very expensive to run but requires no maintenance. The radiant coils can also run through the walls and ceilings. You definitely need to feel the heat before buying it because if it is not distributed properly, fixing it is a real pain for obvious reasons. Best thing about it is that it is not dry the air and does not take up space.

leeza, in a prewar Manhattan apartment you're going to see underfloor radiant heating only in a renovated bathroom, where it's electric.

I guess it'd be possible to install hot-water underfloor radiant heating, if the building would allow it, but haven't heard of it being done. Which building is this?