If i was basically windowsill growing in the UK i would steer away from s/h for most plants , as JMoney pointed out the res getting very cold can cause a lot of problems.I have plants that have survived low 30's in s/h but basically they had no water in the res.
After watering i leave the pellets to soak for up to 1 hour then tip out the res.
I used to leave Phal's in my living room window over winter if they were flowering but after 2 of them developed root rot(being next to the window the temps do drop quite low) i keep them nice & warm in the grow room now.
The other growing conditions are more important IMHO than the medium .
I bought 3 Phal Gigabell seedlings , they were still in a compot & the bigest 1 had about a 3" LS.I put 2 in bark mix & the other in s/h.2 years on they are all doing fine , the 1 in s/h has the largest better looking leaves but 1 of the others has grown more leaves.Basically nothing proved.
s/h for me is quicker & easier to maintain the plants but it doesn't suit all my plants in my conditions.
Watering in my grow room takes just as long for the 1's in s/h as for the 1's in bark , they are in trays that empty into buckets.The thing is i don't have to gauge when the 1's in s/h need watering , doesn't matter what size pots they are in or what the pots are made of , if the res is low i water.
During the summer i water my Phrags every day in the evening(temps in the greenhouse go over 95f regularly), hopefully this keeps the roots cool over night & help to keep the plants rot free.