UNDERFLOOR HEATING

The pleasure of warm, cosy floors

UNDERFLOOR HEATING BENEFITS

Underfloor heating is a great way to keep your home warm. It’s pleasant to walk on, distributes heat evenly around each corner of the room and it frees your walls from radiators. This leaves more space for paintings, shelf units or even picture windows. Alternatively you can go for the modern minimalist look with no heating elements on any wall.

What are the advantages of underfloor heating systems?

Comfort! Your feet will be lovely and warm, so you can walk around barefoot all year. It’s particularly welcoming in the bathroom when you step out of the bath or shower
It distributes heat evenly and consistently around each room
A suitably sized unit can heat a larger area than an individual radiator, and works at a lower temperature, so it could reduce your heating bills
Less wastage – your floors will stay warm even if the windows are open or the room is very draughty
It’s hidden – so it doesn’t spoil your décor or take up space with unattractive, bulky radiators
It can be installed below stone, tile, wood or carpeted floors (as long as the carpet isn’t too thick - a 1.5 tog is generally considered the maximum suitable thickness)
It may add value to your home. Underfloor heating has a reputation for being state of the art and high spec and could attract buyers looking for a luxurious property

There are a number of technologies for installing underfloor heating in different situations. Take a look at the options below to gain a better understanding and feel free to contact us for more information.

All underfloor heating technologies have the potential to be controlled by smart systems and we can advise if your existing or planned smart system is compatible.

OVERLAY

The great advantage of overlay underfloor heating is that he 15mm or 18mm pre formed boards can be laid on nearly an existing surface with no excavation of the existing floor. The primary concern is whether the existing room height can accommodate the loss of around 20mm in additional floor components.

Overlay can be placed directly on concrete or floor boards without any structural work, but get in touch if you have another floor type you're not sure about.

Laminate or tile flooring can be laid directly on to the Overlay panels. If a vinyl or carpet finish is required then an intermediate plywood layer is recommended.

SOLID / SCREED FLOOR

The most common method of fitting underfloor heating, suitable for new builds and renovations where a new screed floor is being laid. The hot water pipes are laid on an insulating layer and covered with a liquid screed. The pipework comes with a 50 year guarantee, so no need to worry about a failure requiring excavation.

The heating pipes are fed with hot water from your boiler/thermal store installation. See our boilers and cylinders pages for more information.

This method is the most disruptive to fit as it requires excavation and rebuild of the floor. It also takes a little longer to warm up the floor material, however it is the most efficient and creates the most consistent heating experience with no cold spots.

In general, underfloor heating is a low power always-on type of heating that is extremely efficient to run and always ensures the room is well heated with little energy spend.

It is important to pair an underfloor heating installation with quality insulation of the home to ensure that the heating effect is maximised and efficiencies are realised. With solid floor heating and quality insulation you will always have a cosy room temperature, a pleasant warm touch floor and save on energy bills as inefficient fluctuating heating and cooling cycles are removed.

SUSPENDED FLOOR

This system is designed to be used with suspended wooden floors with supporting beams in place of a solid concrete floor. If you do not have the room height to opt for overlay heating with existing wooden floors, then these solutions are for you.

There are a variety of specific installation systems available, but all have the common theme of placing an insulation layer between the floor joists, heating pipes above this and optionally some form of heat spreading metal plate.

The different kits fit specific floor setups where heating pipes may be placed between floor joists in integrated insulation, or may be placed above joists in specially formed floorboards. The latter better suits where the joists are too close together to effectively place the heating pipes in the gaps between.

If you have wooden joist floors, do not have the height to use overlay and are not looking to completely remove and relay the existing floor with a screed solution, please contact us to learn more about the options available.