Underfloor Heating

“If you have your heart set on stone or tile floors, under tile heating is a no brainer and seems to be a popular choice with our clients when they’re renovating their bathrooms – perfect for winter. As tiles and stone have high thermal conductivity and are usually thin, the heat transfers quickly from the underfloor heating wires through the tile to warm the surface of the floor efficiently. Unlike hydronic underfloor heating, you don’t have to wait for the temperature of the slab to heat up before the room feels warm.” By Steven Ngov – Superior Renovations

Underfloor heating can help keep floors and rooms warm and offer a space-saving alternative to radiators. It can sit beneath pretty much any type of floor, including stone, tile, wood and carpet.

There are two main types of underfloor heating: electric underfloor heating, which is also known as a dry system, and water underfloor heating, also called a wet system.

When we asked underfloor heating owners* about the type of underfloor heating they have in their home, the majority (65%) said they have electric underfloor heating and 35% have water.

How does an electric underfloor heating system work?

In an electric underfloor heating system, a series of electric wires or electric heating sheets are installed beneath or within your flooring. These are used to heat an area or a room, such as a cold, tiled bathroom floor.

The majority (66%) of people we spoke to with electric underfloor heating had it installed in just one room, most commonly in their bathroom (63%), followed by the kitchen (32%).

They’re usually placed on top of a layer of screed (to ensure the surface is completely flat) and a layer of floor insulation (to ensure the heat travels upwards rather than down).

There’s an electric underfloor heating system for nearly every flooring type. The electric system you install will depend on the size of the room and how well insulated it is, what the flooring below it is like, whether it is insulated and the type of flooring you’ll have on top.

Options include loose-fit wiring flexible enough to fit into small or awkward spaces, electric cable systems, or heating mats you roll out to cover larger areas.

Installing electric underfloor heating

Most people choose to employ a professional company or trader to install underfloor heating. Professionals are best placed to recommend what system to install and how to prepare the floor.

If you are a confident DIYer, you could feasibly install the electric heating sheets or cables yourself – but you’ll need a qualified electrician to connect your system to your electric mains supply and fit a sensor that connects to the thermostat. The sensor allows you to control the temperature and pre-set the system to turn on or off.

79% of the people we asked who have electric underfloor heating got a company, builder or supplier to install it. This is less than those with water underfloor heating – 86% used a company, builder or supplier. Just 12% fitted it themselves (8 people).

How much does electric underfloor heating cost to install and run?

Costs for roll-out underfloor heating mats start from around £250 for a kit with 10 square metres (150v). You’ll also need to factor in the cost of insulation board, screed and heating controls.

Obviously, if you install it yourself, that won’t cost anything. But you will need to pay an electrician’s call out and labour charges.

We’ve researched the cost of installing electric underfloor heating, and asked installers across the UK to tell us what can affect the price. You can find out more by going to underfloor heating cost and installation.

Because electric systems are generally quite thin and simple to fit, they can be easier and less hassle to install in an existing room than a wet heating system, which requires some space for pipework and could involve the floor being raised.

Electric underfloor heating is cheaper to install than a wet system (and you can even do it yourself) but it’s more expensive to run. For that reason, many of the installers we spoke to don’t recommend this form of underfloor heating for large areas.

Source: www.which.co.uk

Underfloor heating: what you need to know

Many of the underfloor heating owners we’ve spoken to said they got underfloor heating because they were renovating their house. So it made sense to have it done while work was being carried out. A lot also said it was because they wanted it added to the new extension or conservatory.

Most people who have underfloor heating are pleased with it. We had lots of comments on how lovely it is to have warmth underfoot – scroll down to see members’ comments on the pros of getting underfloor heating.

The most popular room for people to install underfloor heating in is their bathroom:

• 55% of people have their underfloor heating installed in their bathroom
• 46% in their kitchen
• 26% in their living room
• 24% in their hallway.

Underfloor heating: the pros

Underfloor heating is a modern and high-spec feature that allows you to enjoy the luxury of warm floors during cold winter mornings.

It can be an efficient way of heating a room as the heat rises slowly around the whole room, while radiators heat a more isolated area. It can also remove the need for radiators, depending on the size of the system.

It is a flexible heating option that can be fitted in a new room or a pre-existing room, but there will be a lot more upheaval if it is retrofitted.

Underfloor heating: the cons

Underfloor heating can take longer to heat up than radiators, which work quickly to high temperatures.

In some cases, such as with smaller systems, they won’t be able to totally supplement radiators.

An underfloor heating system can be pricey to install (especially if retrofitted) maintain and run, particularly if it’s supplementary to your main heating system.

Source: www.which.co.uk/

Dear EarthTalk: How energy efficient (and comfortable) is under-floor heating, sometimes known as radiant heating?—Marcy Dell, Boston

Underfloor radiant heating involves underlaying the floor with a hot element or tubing that transfers heat into the room via infrared radiation and convection, obviating the need for forced or blowing air.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Savers website, radiant heating has a number of advantages over other forms of heat distribution: “It is more efficient than baseboard heating and usually more efficient than forced-air heating because no energy is lost through ducts.” It is also flexible as it can run off of a variety of energy sources: Gas, oil, wood, solar and other sources or combinations thereof can feed radiant systems. And radiant heating is a good choice for those with severe allergies as no potentially irritating particles get blown around the room.

Several aspects of radiant heating make it more energy efficient. For starters, the uniform heat distribution over the entire surface of a floor heats the lower half of the room, enveloping inhabitants in warmth at a lower overall temperature—in some cases, up to five degrees Fahrenheit cooler—than a conventional heating system. “Radiators and other forms of ‘point’ heating circulate heat inefficiently and hence need to run for longer periods to obtain comfort levels,” reports the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNet). “They draw cold air across the floor and send warm air up to the ceiling, where it then falls, heating the room from the top down, creating drafts and circulating dust and allergens,” RESNet adds that radiant systems transmit heat on average some 15 percent more efficiently than conventional radiators.

The efficiency gains can be magnified significantly with good insulation and a well-designed system. While tearing out old heating systems and/or replacing decent existing flooring might be overkill for the sake of moving to radiant heat, those embarking on new building projects or contemplating major renovations should certainly consider it. According to TLC Network’s Green Living Guide, there are two main types of radiant heating, electric and hydronic. In the former, heated wires installed in the floor radiate heat upward.

This type of radiant heat is most commonly used to retrofit a single room—especially a bathroom or kitchen—in an older house or building. Meanwhile, hydronic radiant heating, whereby heated water is forced through tubes under the floor, is more often designed into a new structure from the get-go, and is more energy efficient overall.

TLC points out that while radiant heat is definitely more efficient in smaller, snug homes with lower roofs, it might not always be the greenest solution in homes with bigger rooms: “In some scenarios, it can be less energy efficient than forced-air heating.” TLC recommends consulting with a reputable heating contractor to see if radiant heating is a sensible way to go.

Of course, pairing a radiant heating system with an energy efficient EnergySTAR-approved programmable thermostat can indeed save households hundreds of dollars a year on home heating bills while keeping inhabitants warmer all year long. Many states offer financial incentives to upgrade home and commercial heating systems in ways that boost energy efficiency.

Source: www.scientificamerican.com

There’s nothing worse than hopping out of a warm bed on a cold winter’s morning, only to have to walk down a cold hallway and into a cold kitchen or bathroom.

There’s a simple solution: underfloor heating. Far from being just a way to warm up a cold bathroom, this approach can heat your home more effectively than other, more traditional systems.

Let’s investigate what underfloor heating is and why you should consider it.

What is underfloor heating?

There are two types of underfloor heating. You’ve got water systems (hydronic), which pump water through a series of pipes beneath the floor, and dry systems, which use electric coils or cables placed beneath the floor.

In both cases, the systems radiate heat up through the floor and out into the room. The result is uniform heating which spreads throughout a given space.

You’ll find more flexibility with a hydronic option, as you can use a number of ways to heat the water. For example, you could use geothermal heat pumps or a wood-powered boiler. With electrical coils or cables, there’s no such flexibility.

What are the advantages of underfloor heating?

The most obvious benefit of underfloor heating – aside from the uniform heat distribution – is that you can’t actually see it. Instead of heat pumps and wall-mounted radiators, everything sits beneath your home.

There’s also the obvious bathroom advantage. These systems heat up cold tiles and keep them warm while you use the bathroom – great in the morning. Note that bathroom underfloor heating is more typically the electrical coil or cable system mentioned previously, although the effect is the same.

Furthermore, hydronic underfloor heating is also futureproof, as you can swap out the heat sources for the underfloor system.

What are the disadvantages of underfloor heating?

The primary downside for an underfloor heating system is the cost, especially if you want to add one to your existing home. They’re most affordable when installed as part of a new build or if you’re doing major renovations involving gutting rooms.

These systems also take longer to heat a room than a traditional heater, so you’ll need to set them up with a timer (timed to turn on an hour or two before you wake up, for example).

Source: trendsideas.com

HEATING
Many options are now available to keep out winter’s chill, including radiators, underfloor heating and heat pumps.Heating your home is a lot easier these days as the old column heaters give way to more modern and energy-efficient systems.

Mike Van Skiver, managing director of SunFlow, says underfloor hydronic heating systems are becoming more prevalent because their radiating heat is much more comfortable than blown air.

“Underfloor heating is becoming more popular over time because it is 30 per cent more efficient than forced air heating systems,” Van Skiver says.

He says underfloor heating systems can be powered by anything from wood burners to geothermal energy.

Gas boilers and heat pumps are the most popular methods of powering these systems. But this type of home heating is generally reserved for new builds. It can be retrofitted to older homes but the heat tiles would need to be placed on existing flooring which would raise the floor.

“Underfloor heating is central heating. It’s the best form of central heating there is. It’s the most efficient, most economical and most healthy because there is no air being blown around.”

A gas-powered underfloor heating system for a 200sq m home would cost between $12,000 and $15,000 installed.

Radiators

Van Skiver says radiators are the next best option. Radiators produce 70 per cent of their heat by radiance and the remaining 30 per cent by convection. Van Skiver maintains that radiant heat is much better than forced air systems.

“Hot air rises so it just stratifies and goes up to the ceiling and you lose your energy,” Van Skiver says.

Ceiling insulation can minimise this heat loss. The government’s Healthy Homes projects provide limited funding for underfloor and ceiling insulation.

The projects are meant for low-income people and those at risk from illness due to cold and damp housing. Landlords may also be asked to contributes towards the cost of installation.

But there is no government subsidy for heating.

Heat pumps

Chris Kinnell, general manager of Energy Efficient Solutions, says high-wall heat pumps make up around three quarters of the heat pumps he sells. The average unit is about $2500 installed making it the most cost-effective way to use a heat pump.

One high wall unit can heat the main living space of the average home quite well.

Central heating

Any heating system that heats the whole house can be considered central heating. But what is commonly referred to as central heating is a fully ducted system, which costs around $8000-$10,000 installed. It can be fitted into a roof cavity or crawlspace under the house.

Hot air is either ducted into the room through ceiling diffusers or floor grilles. Kinnell says retrofitting a central heating system is fairly straightforward.

“The popularity of ducted systems really is skyrocketing. It is by far a more elegant solution. Each room just has a grill on the floor or a diffuser on the ceiling.

“That’s all you see,” Kinnell says.

He says ducted systems also evenly distribute the heat around more rooms in the house than other systems. You can control how much heat is allocated to any one room.

Since the average bedroom only requires a kilowatt of heat, it is overkill to install the smallest heat pump, which delivers three kilowatts of heat.

Kinnell says you’re just paying for more capacity than you need.

A central heating system can also be a good investment in the home.

“It’s not just investing in an appliance in the living room, it’s investing in a channel that is built into the whole house.”

Source: NZ Herald

“Being in the similar industry (construction) as Floor Heating Auckland, when we get clients enquiring for Painters North Shore – we are always asked for recommendations for floor heating and we’ve been recommending Floor Heating Auckland for the last 3 years without hesitation” by Steven Ngov – Superior Painters