The REAL COST of HEATED FLOORS - Are They WORTH IT???

The Real COST of HEATED FLOORS - Are They WORTH IT???
In this video, I discuss the actual cost of heated floors: Installation, Materials, and what the electricity costs will be to run them.
I discuss using Schluter Ditra-Heat and Laticrete Strata-Heat on floors, how they are installed, and what the costs will be once you add all the factors. One of the main costs is running a new 20 amp dedicated circuit to the thermostat location--which is required by the manufacturer. These systems can draw up to 11 amps per thermostat, requiring the dedicated circuit.
The nice thing about the new floor heating systems is that they incorporate the uncoupling membrane into the heating cable installation.
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[spacefeather_]

3 years later and this is one of the best videos out there for understanding radiant heat flooring. Thank you so much!!

[jkling]

Nice video. We installed our own heated floor, before the tile work. Just a small area in front of the vanity and toilet. About 15 Sq Ft to keep the feet warm and heat a small bathroom.
$500 or so material cost. I did it myself - a few hours each day for 2 days.
Materials:
Thermosoft mat, Honeywell GFI Thermostat, 20 amp dedicated circuit (bathroom is very close to the main panel), Sensor and backup sensor, staple gun, and Self-Leveling Cement (to protect the mat/wires).
Process:
- Quick coating of any waterproof membrane on subfloor (for SLC to adhere)
- seal gaps where slc would run using spray foam, etc
- Staple mat down
- Install thermostat, circuit, and sensor (1 primary, 1 backup - backup is not connected to thermostat - just leave wires there in case first sensor fails).
- Protect mat & wires with thin layer of SLC
Note: SLC is optional but Very Smart. Otherwise, the tile guy can nick/cut the heating wires or sensor wires. That would be BAD. Spend a few bucks and protect it with SLC - and the floor will be fast, easy, flat and level = perfect lippage.

[richardramsbottom]

First off, love the videos, always very helpful. Just a little math point, 2 x 290 for the larger membrane is 580 rather than the 480 that you've put :)

[aaronvallejo]

Best heat ever! After I super insulated my attic and under my floor I installed a warm electric heated floor and it is awesome. Especially since it is powered by renewably powered electricity from my roof top solar PV system.

[cornpop]

Thank you for the breakdown. I'm also glad to see people chime in with additional thoughts and even some corrections. That's what makes YouTube so valuable. Some brave soul starts the conversation and some other people further the discussion.

I'm going to chime in too: the cost is exactly as you said "running hours", time when the thermostat calls for heat, not time when the system is enabled.

Insulation below the slab (assuming you're installing on a slab) can vary from none at all to R30 and all points in between. Mainly this, but also the overall efficiency of the home, will vary the run time and the subsequent operating costs. That being so variable, I'm glad you presented it as running hours because anything else would be a hazardous guess. Great job!

One slight correction: the electrician would run 12/2 for either area. There is no neutral needed for a 20A 2 pole circuit, unless the system uses a 120v control circuit or motor, as in the case of an electric range or clothes dryer, respectively.

[joellenbroetzmann]

I did it in Northern Wisconsin in the kitchen where I spend a lot of time, and in the bathrooms. It makes it much easier to feel comfortable in a place with no basement. With a basenent, your furnace in the basement and heat runs below the first floor keep it warm. Because we have at least a half month of well below zero temps, I knew as we age the comfort will make it worth the expense. If I didn't have the money to do the kitchen, I woukd still try to do the baths.

[wesleyticket]

Great video! A few years ago I did a heated tile floor in my washroom; its awesome. Decided to not heat my kitchen floor and I regret it. Its not feasable to tear up the tiles just to put back heated floor now. Live and Learn

[jayweitekamp]

Excellent Video Isaac. I'm a GC myself and this is brought up just about every time I remodel a bath. Funny thing is I was just talking to my wife about this yesterday when we kicked on our Schluter heated floors for the first time this winter after remodeling our master bath this spring. I'm totally jealous of your Kwh rates in Roseville. Here in Antioch CA we are at 24 cents

[paulortiz]

I have forced hot air heat in my condo currently. But I will soon be installing my primary heat system with electric flooring mats or cables.

As a retired person what better use of my money than to make myself comfortable in my own home? (Yes, I donate money to worthy causes, too!) But the issue for me is the noise from the furnace cycling on and off. It drives me bananas!!! And it blows dust everywhere.

Yes, I know there are 2 cycle furnaces but then there is still the dust issue! Even with the best filters I can find, which are about $30 a piece, dust, dust, dust. So electric heating seems ideal.

Now if I can figure out the a/c issues I'll really be a Very happy person! 🤗

[jonesconrad]

I did my kitchen floor, insulation, heating matt, latex then tile. I found even without heating on it was much warmer than before because of the insulation, you can really notice the difference as the next room hasn't been done yet and it's freezing I tested it with the kitchen floor heating off for two weeks, walking between the two was massively different.

[kevinhornbuckle]

I love my electric radiant bathroom floor heat. It is the best thing I've ever done to my home. I have helped several friends install it in their bathroom remodels. Nobody regrets it. Everybody loves it.

[Grouperhound]

I just did 64sqft including the shower( something they don’t recommend with the same wire), and my numbers are similar. If you are doing a new build or a significant remodel there might be some efficiencies on the electrical costs. The electrician also needs to know the product and have a megaohm meter to check the wire at each step of installation. Not cheap, my Fluke was $600. My only struggle is the membrane and the memory effect in the roll, it wants to lift near the edges, otherwise I also think it’s a great product. I only time it for 3 hrs in morning and 3 hrs at night, and only during the cooler months. It has spoiled my girlfriend, I don ‘t think she would allow me NOT to use it on the next remodel. Keep up the great vids Isaac. 👍

[d.vaders]

We have had our Ditra floor installed for two years now under slate tile in our family room and have loved it. We would absolutely install it again. Our thermostat will even tell us how much electricity we have used. Would not have stone or tile floors without the heated floors. We put it in the laundry room too. It will also go into the bedroom bathroom when we remodel those rooms. If you can afford it it is worth it.

[ThePalmiterfamily]

We are in upstate New york. I pay 13 cents per kilowatt. We have a living room dining room and hallway ditra heat under vinyl tile planks. Over 700 sq ft. Using 240... it's only using 3 KW hours per day and it runs 24/7. (Vinyl flooring does not hold the heat.)

Ceramic Tile floor is much warmer and a better suited as we have that installed in our kitchen...

But the material and labor savings using the vinyl tile over ceramic tile... it's so cheap to run.. we're glad we used vinyl tile...

Last thing I would recommend you use the company Warmly Yours. You get a much more even heat distribution but it's much more labor intensive to install... We have both systems in our house..

[lightspeedguru]

For operational costs, we must first figure out how many kw will be required and that requires a heat loss calculation for the space. You can actually use the R-rating of the walls, ceilings and floors, together with U-values for any windows, and figure out the heat that will be lost (and thus needs to be replaced) in BTU per hour per square foot. For easy math, let's consider standard values for new home construction that result in a value of 15 BTU/hr/sqft of heat loss. Convert this to kw and you'll need to spend about 0.0045kw/h for every square foot of tile. Since the system is capable of providing about 3x that, your thermostat will need cycle on and off in order to maintain a constant temperature. In short, while the system is rated to provide a maximum of 12.7W/sqft, it's not likely that you'll need that all the time, so the operational costs may, in fact, be quite lower. I estimate it to be about 1/3rd of the cost calculated in the video but I'd love to hear from anyone who has real-world numbers to share.

[alexpartridge]

In Canada electricity is insane. But if I were building a new home or advising a client I would 100% go with heated floors via hot water system for entire home along with walls and ceiling spray foam. So efficient and really the cost difference these days is fairly small.

[JPS_Originals]

You get quite a lot of apartments here in the Netherlands which are now being built with heated floors being the only source of heating in the house. Combined with high energy efficiency e.g. double glazing etc, it makes for a very cozy economical home.

[JB-nfnk]

Video autoplayed on me... I'm glad I am able to do this kind of work myself. Everyone who wants nice things but isn't rich should learn some DIY skills. I did 80sqft for about $400 - no contractors. The only Schluter stuff I bought that was the Ditra-Heat membrane because Schluter is hollier than thou... You can get safe reliable wire, sensors, and thermostats for a fraction of the price from other manufacturers.

[Mueneeez]

Ive done these type of floors. And the methods and cost can vary... But a factor that is not calculable in monetary terms, is quality of the floor radiant heat.... It is fantastic. I would highly recommend

[politicalpartyagnostic]

Thank you for your valuable insights.
So good of you to share!!
You are a great coach!!!
Also, if your wife is happy with this form of home heating I am going to follow suit 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Again THANK YOU!!!