Walking onto an icy cold floor doesn’t feel very welcoming on those cold winter mornings, so imagine just how warm and inviting your bathroom can feel with underfloor heating. Underfloor heating isn’t just for bathrooms, it can be used anywhere in your house and it’s a very efficient way to heat your home. Before choosing any underfloor heating, there are just a few points for you to consider.
Pros
- An underfloor heating system can be 40% more efficient than a normal radiator system, this makes them much more environmentally friendly and kinder to your bank balance too, also as heat rises your bathroom will feel warmer quicker.
- Installing underfloor heating in place of radiators helps to free up wall space for additional storage such as shelving or a cabinet. Alternatively it’s a great way to create a clean, minimal look.
- As the heat is distributed evenly it prevents different parts of your bathroom or kitchen from feeling warmer or colder than others.
- An underfloor heating system should be maintenance free.
Cons
- Installation costs can be high.
- If you were unfortunate enough to have a burst pipe it would mean the flooring would have to be ripped up to fix it, which can be a major expense.
Is my flooring suitable?
Underfloor heating can be used with any type of floor construction, but it is much easier to install it when you are laying a floor from scratch, which is ideal if you are having an extension built or for a new build.
Underfloor heating is perfectly suitable for use with carpets but will feel particularly inviting under ceramic tiles and natural stone, which get very cold during the winter months. If you have wood, laminate or vinyl flooring make sure you get professional advice before choosing an underfloor heating system.
Electric or water-based underfloor heating?
There are two main types of underfloor heating systems which include electric and water-based. If you are fitting underfloor heating underneath an existing floor, the most suitable system to choose is an electric one, as this is flatter than a wet system and therefore should not require the floor to be raised up.
An electric underfloor heating system features cables which are attached to mesh mats, these are connected to the power supply. An electric system is easier to install, but the downside is they are 30-40% more expensive to run compared to a water-based system.
Water-based underfloor heating features a system that has plastic pipes fitted beneath the surface of the floor, these are filled with warm water from your central heating system. This type of underfloor heating can be used with any boiler and each room where the heating is installed has its own valve, which can be hidden away in a central control hub in a cupboard.
Can I install underfloor heating myself?
A basic electric underfloor heating system can be installed by yourself, but it is recommended that you seek professional advice if you would prefer a water-based system. This is to ensure that your flooring is suitable or your floor could end up warping. Also, the floor underneath the heating system needs to be insulated to prevent any valuable heat loss.
