Choosing a heat system

[Greenlight1]

Hey guys I am an electrician by trade and I know just enough about HVAC and plumbing to get I. Trouble so I steer clear. We are totally renovating our home this year (1900’s built 2600sft double, soon to be single family home). 100% gutted as we speak. I am looking for some expert opinions on what types of heating systems would be best suited for a home like this. I live in NE Pennsylvania so we experience -10° winters and 95° summers. Home will be well insulated with new windows and doors.
MY TWO thoughts were either: 95%AFUE combi boiler in basement and hot water baseboard throughout (kitchen possibly radiant heat) or 2 hot air furnaces (basement and attic, both of which will be inside thermal envelope) so we can also have central AC. Are 2 furnaces the “norm” for newer houses these days?? I have seen almost every new home we do have 2 instead of 1. I personally prefer hot water systems as I feel they heat much better (but what do I know). If you DO HAVE SUGGESTIONS, please explain why you would choose one over the other. Thank you in advance!!!!!!!

[bobboan]

Did the house have cast iron radiators?

[Greenlight1]

House originally had oil boilers with hot water radiators on one side and steam radiators on the other.

[bobboan]

Those were the best heat emitters you could have had short of radiant floors.

Baseboards are the least efficient choice of emitters because they are high temp and a mod/con boiler is more efficient operating with cooler water. You could over-size them or use low temp ones likes Smith's, but that's more up front $$. Also, it may take a lot of it to heat an older house like yours.

I wouldn't recommend forced error for an old home like that, but that's all that about 95% of HVAC contractors know how to do.

You need to have a detailed, room X room Manual J load calc done before trying to size or design anything. It's the foundation for all sizing and design.

[Greenlight1]

100% agree on the manual J. Can that be done while the house is gutted? Does the engineer need 100% specifics on number of windows (we may add 1-2 more) and insulation levels (between spray foam and Roxul batts)
Or can he just alter his calculations if we change something??

[bobboan]

SlantFin has a free app that you can download which is fairly accurate if you enter the correct data. It's heat loss only (heating). That will get you close enough to see what kind of load you have.

What type of construction are the exterior walls?

[bobboan]

They can be changed.

[Greenlight1]

Home is balloon framed 2x6 rough cut lumber with wood sheathing. Vinyl siding is approx 15 years old and backer board is R-2 foil faced

[pecmsg]

Radiant heat just to take the chill off the floors.

Heat pumps with how water coils in the duct work as back up and during defrost. Once the balance point is reached H W Coils!

Condensing boilers loose there efficiency when running above 140° return temps so all emitters need to be oversized!

[Bazooka Joe]

If your leaning towards Heat Pumps and another source of switch over, they make two types of Air to Air Heat Pumps. Demand defrost and time/temperature. Chances are the demand defrost will initiate a defrost at a lesser frequency than the time/temperature type. Both types are widely used.