[Gracie2006]

Fine time for my baseboard heaters to start crapping out, 22 degrees outside, its snowing and hurricane force winds predicted for tonight. 2 out of 3 of my baseboard heaters decided not to put out much heat overnight. It took me all day to get the main level of my house warmed up to 65 degrees. So now I am faced with buying a new heating system of some sort. I really hope once the weather warms up a bit I can hold off until summer to do this. My baseboard heaters are about 18 years old. I don't mind having baseboards upstairs and in the basement as I seldom heat those levels. So I am considering options for the main level (I'm not made of money, could muster at most $4000 - $5000):

1. Replace baseboard heaters (3) with more baseboard heaters or perhaps a wall mounted radiant heat system with new thermostats
2. Install radiant heat on the floor (I have concrete floors), need new carpet/flooring anyway but not sure if the budget will allow both.
3. Install central heat for the main level only. Would love AC but I am in a complex and would have to get approval from the HOA to have the AC unit outside.

I'm not sure what would be the most energy efficient, reliable and cost effective. I have hated these baseboard heaters from the day I moved in here, very hard to regulate temperature. Does anyone know how much any of these options will cost me and what my best bet would be? Have they improved the efficiency of baseboard heaters much in the last 18 years? We normally have a few weeks out of each year that we have temperature extremes (one week or less at a time in the summer for heat waves, usually about three times and about the same for cold snaps in the winter). I have about 800 square feet of floor space in the rooms I want to heat.

Thanks for your input.