Ceiling Vents Vs. Floor Vents
If you have you ceiling vents then you optimize you house for cooling. This is because hot air rises and cool air gets pushed down by the hot air. There are currently ceiling vents in the house that I currently reside in now. The cooling capabilities of the house are impressive. There is rarely at time when the cooling is not enough even though a specialist has said that the A/C Unit is too small for the house.
On the other hand, the heater is terrible. In the winter time, we have to buy heaters for which ever room we are in to stay warm. Even running at full power the heating is the house is no where near comfortable. The heater still runs the bill sky high but no good heat in exchange. The reason why many homes have ceiling vents is because it is cheaper and easier to install when the house is being built. It almost falls right in place into a blue print of a house.
Floor vents on the other hand favor heating of the house. I have lived in an older house that had floor vents and the heating was terrific. Ironically, so was the cooling. The heating was obviously going to be great because heat rises. When you vent the heat from the ground it warms you feet all the way up to your head. Many times in my current house I find that me feet are always the coldest part of my body. I would personally recommend floor vents if you are interested in quality heating and cooling. On the other hand, I can understand why people would rather not cut a hole in the floor so a vent can come through.
In short, no setup is perfect. It all depends on the preference of the person building the house or the one the house is being built for. Sometimes floor vents are not practical if you are trying to reduce installation cost. Then again, ceiling vents may make you wish you had floor vents.
