Which Underfloor Heating Solution Is Best For You?

@theunderfloorheatingstore
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FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE

ProWarm™ Water Underfloor Heating Low Profile 18mm - Multi-Room

Ultra Tile ProFlex SPES

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Domestic underfloor heating offers an efficient and comfortable way to heat your home. It distributes warmth evenly across floor surfaces and creates a cosy environment from the ground up. This system comes in various types, each with its distinct features and benefits.

1. Electric Underfloor Heating

Also known as a dry system, electric underfloor heating uses a series of electrical wires or heating mats installed beneath your floor surface. It's particularly suitable for renovation projects due to its minimal installation height and the ease of laying it on existing floors.

Features:
• Quick and easy to install, making it ideal for new builds and retrofit projects.
• Can be installed under various types of flooring, including tile, stone, and laminate.
• Operates independently of your home’s central heating system.

Benefits:
• Energy-efficient when used in well-insulated rooms, as it directly heats the floor surface.
• Requires little to no maintenance after installation.
• Offers a fast response time, heating up a room quicker than water-based systems.

2. Water-based (Hydronic) Underfloor Heating

This system, also known as a wet system, circulates warm water through a network of pipes under the floor. It is ideally incorporated during construction but can also be installed during major renovations.

Features:
• Connected to the home’s central heating system and works well with boilers and heat pumps.
• Suitable for various flooring options, including concrete, tile, and wood.
• Typically installed in screed for new builds or low-profile systems for retrofitting.

Benefits:
• It is highly efficient, particularly in well-insulated spaces, as it distributes heat more evenly and at lower temperatures over a longer period.
• Lower running costs than electric systems in larger areas or whole-house applications.
• Can be zoned to control the temperature in different areas of your home independently.

3. Air-Based (Hydronic) Underfloor Heating

Although less common, air-based underfloor heating systems circulate warm air through channels beneath the floor. This system can be integrated with renewable energy sources, making it eco-friendly.

Features:
• Compatible with solar air heating systems or other renewable energy sources.
• Can be used for both heating and cooling purposes.

Benefits:
• Flexible energy source options, including solar power, can significantly reduce operational costs and environmental impact.
• Offers the possibility of integrating heating and cooling into a single system for year-round comfort.

When choosing the right one for your home, consider your specific needs, the nature of your project, and your energy efficiency goals.

Electric systems are easy to install and are excellent for smaller areas or individual rooms, whereas water-based systems, with their energy-efficient and cost-effective operation, are more suited for new constructions or whole-house heating.

Air-based systems present an innovative solution for those looking to maximize eco-friendliness and versatility.

Regardless of the type, underfloor heating adds to the comfort and value of your home, providing a warm, evenly heated space without the intrusiveness of radiators or visible heating elements.

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#underfloorheating #homeimprovement #homeheating

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[SRafique]

As a long term DIYer but with no experience of UFH, I used Variotherm from UFH1. It's a smaller bore pipe but laid on 100mm centres and in 18mm cement fibre board. On a level base. I won't deny its hard work laying the pipe but the plumber who connected it to the manifold (I thought I'd get a professional for that!) commented on the high quality of the pipe. LVT was laid floating on top. The end result has exceeded our expectations. The floor never gets hotter than 26degC, it's uniformly warm because the pipework is not laid in polystyrene and there is an element of thermal mass in the CFB. Input temperature is about 40degC. I can control through a phone app if necessary. I can thoroughly recommend this system.

[Doug....]

Good advice Roger, thanks. Interesting thinking about the way radiators have to fill a room with heat rather than underfloor pipes heating the floor. 👍👍

[tomsmith]

I'd love that in my house but it's only a pipe dream 🙄

[paulcooper]

In my old flat I insulated the kitchen and bathroom floor with 60mm of XPS insulation and laid down electric underfloor heating. It was a nice solution to two rooms that had previously only had pull cord 2kW heaters. The difference was amazing.
One advantage of electric is that it is an even heat along the cable as opposed to pipes that get cooler nearer the end of the run.

[fraserhardmetal]

Did my own installation 15 years ago - on the cheap. Covered the entire ground floor ( concrete ) with 2 inch extruded polystyrene panels ( seconds ) as a floating floor glued together with polyurethane adhesive.

Pipe runs were drawn out to and from the manifold and were simply routed out. Very easy to change spacing where you wanted more heat, standing areas in the kitchen etc.

Covered in both tiles ( over cement board ) and solid oak t&g flooring - new skirtings fitted and not one problem since. We have a large conservatory open plan to the rest of the house and it is comfortable all year round except on the very coldest days, it is double glazed with argon filled metallised glazing throughout, however I fitted a radiator to back up the output from the underfloor, which couldn't quite cope with the heat loss on cold days, and fitted insulated blinds to the roof glazing .

I did have doubts about the oak flooring ( the missus picked it ) due to the thickness and the possibility of shrinkage, it was kiln dried so no movement. There is some inertia in the warm up time due to the thickness, but once up and running all ok.

Using the plain panels made fitting a breeze, and routing out pipe runs made coping with the twists and turns of a 1930's build a lot easier than proprietary systems.

[steady]

Thanks Roger. Definitely going to investigate further. Kind regards Stu

[radusguru]

Great advice My favourite you tube channel by far. Thanks.

[affieuk]

What advice would you have for someone who already has concrete floors, do you have experience with "overlay" wet systems? I think I've seen some like the tray system you showed.

[RR-mtwp]

Like the thought of under floor heating, great video Roger.

[morph]

Great video again Roger 👍 I would love to hear your thoughts and recommendations on the different flooring options you can have on top of underfloor heating

[markfernandes]

Good video imo Roger, but I'm gonna quibble with you on the radiation vs convection claim a little. Underfloor uses both, same with Rads although the % is different. Rads mainly use convection (despite the name) & yes, Underfloor would be far more radiant heat. It still heats the air though and air convects. Cold air will come in from the sides to fill the space as the lighter hoter air rises, although this is far less apparent than with a Rad as you rightly say. Far those ultra-high ceilings, you could go for radiant panels (electric IR) which rely on radiation almost entirely and do heat objects/people directly. The cost to run though is expensive and only high 90s efficiency possible. So there's always trade offs to be made.

[chrisp]

Great video and thanks for all your videos, I’m a big fan of the channel.

Only thing I would disagree with is that underfloor heating is radiative heating. You need things very hot for that to work, like an open fire or log burner.

The room will heat from convection (and your toes from conduction!), but compared to a normal radiator, the whole floor has hot air rising from it. It’s like the whole room is the bit above a radiator. Your bang on though that for high ceilinged rooms it’s the way ahead.

Cheers

[ianstewart]

This video has answered many of my questions about underfloor heating. My only criticism would be to say that if we are going to stop burning stuff to keep warm, then electric is the only way to go (from 'renewables' i.e. wind and solar).

[jammm]

Good video! I would love it if the store starts selling international! Wish you guys the best from sweden!✌️

[scubadave]

I’m buying a house that has it but they have installed radiators as they told me as soon as the boiler turned off everywhere just went cold instantly, but I was always under the impression it was better like your video said 🤷🏼‍♂️

[arekarek]

Graet job, man. Hopefully, ppl will upgrade their houses to more comfortable and efficient .

[justinterested]

Another advantage is that you can use other types of heating (heat pumps/solar heat) that cant be used with regular radiators very well. Using a low temperature can double the production of solar heat - even with cheaper solar panels.

[px]

Many thanks for this info Roger, I live in an electrical only house but have taken advice on an electric boiler specifically for wet underfloor heating. As we don't have central heating and are poorly insulated, is this something you would consider, or is insulation the priority? Also, have you any experience with aerogel insulation types? These are returning u values of 0.015 (supposedly)!

[avrils]

Amazing video! Can you put it under a conservatory? And I have laminate flooring and I have 4sq metre in my kitchen and also in a toilet cubicle, is ripping off the floor a lot of work and is it worth it? I live in a very miniature house with a conservatory and roof extension, 900sqm but it’s got 3 floors and is freezing and I’ve heard underfloor heating can heat the whole house even if only on the ground floor Thanks

[pete_biggs]

I enjoy your videos Roger and there's some good tips in here but the title is misleading as the video doesn't actually run through the different solutions available!