Even the best floor level heating beyond in-floor slab will depend on the structure. A heating unit can only do so much from floor to head height if the building/room is not environmentally ‘tight’. Dependencies include ceiling, wall, and underfloor insulation, brick veneer, double brick, or wood construction, metal or tile roofing, and whether the house is on a slab or stumps. All those aspects come together but each individually will be part of the overall ‘equation’ for heating (as well as cooling).
Some easier treatments for ‘cold feet’ caused by the dwelling and heating system’s characteristics include carpet, area rugs, and for homes on stumps, underfloor insulation (not always cheap depending on area to be insulated).
If there were a test as suggested, would it be applicable in a general case or would it be more variable from house to house depending on the issues I mentioned, and while possibly being an interesting data point would it regularly result in the expected outcome? Or will any particular building out weigh the end result - eg poor insulation will result in a more variable temperature across a room from end to end as well as floor to ceiling, etc?
