Electric underfloor heating - a modern alternative for your home

Electric underfloor heating is efficient, easy to maintain and eco-friendly – find out more about the benefits here.

Electric underfloor heating
works well in bathrooms

There are two types of underfloor heating; electric and water-fed. The main benefit of electric underfloor heating is its efficiency, especially in comparison to traditional radiators. Electric underfloor heating gently heats a large floor surface at a low temperature, where as a radiator heats one area with intensity so the heat rises and eventually falls as it cools which makes it less efficient. In fact the same level of warmth can be achieved with underfloor heating operating at 2°C lower than radiators. So using radiators instead of underfloor heating:

• Is an unnecessary hole in our pockets - especially in the current economic climate.
• Is an unnecessary waste of energy and harmful to the environment.

Electric underfloor heating installation

Electrical underfloor heating is best used for refurbishments and existing builds as they are less intrusive to fit than water-fed systems (electric systems are thinner and do not require pipe work). Also electric systems are suitable for smaller spaces, such as bathrooms and shower rooms. There are many variations of underfloor heating products which often are designed to be suited to different floor surfaces and sizes. Many of these may also be advertised as a perfect DIY product, however precisely because of the specificity each electrical underfloor heating product has with each floor type and room size, it is best to use a heating engineer to advise you and an electrician to complete the wiring. Finally ask yourself the question - is it worth risking the quality and efficiency of your underfloor heating in order to save money on the initial installation? You may lose the very benefits you set out to gain from electric underfloor heating, so get a qualified professional to install your underfloor heating who will abide by building regulations and do the job properly.

Benefits of electric underfloor heating

Electric underfloor heating is fairly
easy to install

• There are various types of electric underfloor heating to suit a variety of surfaces.
• It is less likely the floor will expand or contract as heat is equally emitted throughout the floor, unlike radiators where heat is concentrated in one place.
• Each room’s heating can be individually regulated using a thermostat, so there is no waste of energy on unused rooms.
• Electric underfloor heating can be used in ‘wet’ rooms such as bathrooms and shower rooms.
• Electric underfloor heating is an energy efficient means of heating and renewable sources of energy such as solar PV can be used to power this, although a backup source would be necessary.

Electric underfloor heating maintenance

There are no maintenance or servicing needs for electric underfloor heating, making it fairly problem free and possibly the future for greener, more efficient heating.

Cost of electric underfloor heating

The cost of the electric underfloor heating itself, as before mentioned, depends on the type required. For example, 5sq meters of a ‘cable system’ would cost around £200. A mat (underfloor heating product) for larger rooms is around £225 for 5sq meters and a more expensive underfloor heating option for use with vinyl and carpet may cost around £350 for 5sq meters. So taking into consideration these varying prices, it is essential to find out what product you need and do some research by comparing the prices on the market. Running costs for a new build are around £3-£4 per sqm per annum and for an average sized conservatory, around £8 per sqm per annum to run.