The principals of underfloor heating (also referred to as radiant heating) remain the same whether using electric or water systems. Heated floors act as efficient low-level radiators, radiating heat energy evenly into the room, gently warming the living space through a combination of radiant energy and heat conduction.

Underfloor heating has many advantages over traditional radiator heating. Radiators convect heat into the room, creating rising currents of warm air concentrating at the ceiling level: this type of convection heating is wasteful and inefficient. Underfloor heating operates by radiating heat energy into the room at the floor level, gently and evenly warming the room: this method of heating is cheaper to run than radiator heating by up to 20%.

In a modern, well insulated room, where heat loss factors have been taken into consideration, under floor heating can act as the primary heat source: in the majority of cases eliminating the need for radiators.

The major difference between electric and water – also referred to as “wet” systems - is in the construction of the sub-floor. Wet systems are especially suited to new floor constructions where the make-up of the subfloor can accommodate the pipework and cement screed. For existing floors, where overall floor height can be an issue, an electric underfloor heating system would be the preferred option due to the low profile (3mm) of the heating cable: these systems are the ideal choice for refurbishment projects or wooden subfloors.

Other aspects to consider would be the higher installation cost of a water system compared to a typical electric system and the difference in the running costs between the two different types of underfloor heating.

Water Under Floor Heating Installations

For new constructions where the sub-floor is planned at the outset: where a concrete sub-floor is required, the pipework is laid within the cement screed. For wooden sub-floors, aluminium spreader plates are laid within the 400mm centres of the timber joists; pipework is laid at 200mm centres with the flooring laid directly on top.

Gas heating, especially when coupled with high efficiency condensing boilers, will have a lower overall running cost than electric.

Due to the lower operating water temperature of water underfloor heating systems, renewable sources of energy - like solar power and heat pumps - can be used to great advantage.

Electric Underfloor Heating Installations
For new or existing constructions where the sub-floor is already in place: subject to standard floor preparation, electric heating cables or mats are laid on top of the existing sub-floor; making this type of installation very fast and low cost.

In both instances, electric or water floor heating systems will generate enough energy to provide the primary heating requirements for a new or well insulated building, without the need for additional radiator heating. However, where the two systems differ is in the running costs: simply put, for hot water systems, gas-heated boilers are more economical to run per KW of heat output than using electricity per KW hour to run electric UFH. The difference between the overall lower cost of installation for an electric underfloor heating system with a higher running costs, compared to the alternative higher cost of installing water underfloor heating but with lower running costs, becomes one of length of time to realize the initial investment of the installation.

For existing sub-floors, electric UFH will be the only practical solution; for new sub-floors the lower running cost benefits will always outweigh the higher installation costs over the longer term.

For more information on costing your new project click on the water underfloor heating link.

After 5 years of supplying thousands of our internet customers with electric underfloor heating, we thought it time to consider water under floor heating as an additional option to offer in our product range.

After extensive research it became clear to us that the market for “wet systems” - as they are commonly referred to - was becoming more acceptable for new builds, where heating the room is not an option but an absolute necessity. The traditional form of heating would usually be a boiler and radiator central heating system; however, an alternative solution is now becoming more acceptable in the form of piped, hot water under floor heating. The pipework is embedded within the cement screed at the outset, leaving the freedom to choose virtually any form of final floor covering.

Water underfloor heating has now become the conventional alternative for new build houses, commercial applications, home extensions, conservatories and refurbishments. Due to the low operating temperature of the circulating water, the great advantage about a wet system is that not only does it work with a standard condensing boiler, it can also be coupled with a heat source pump or a solar heating system.

The principals of piped water under floor heating relies on a continuous feed of pumped, circulating warm water – via a mixing valve to an adjusted lower temperature - through the sub-floor substrate; usually a 65-75mm cement screed, but equally can be installed over timber sub-floors.

In the case of a cement screeded sub-floor, this thermal mass becomes a background heat store. To offset the drop in temperature of the cement screed during overnight or off peak times the thermostat settings can be adjusted to a lower level (setback temperature) to retain the temperature of the screed to within a few degrees below daytime settings - typically 3 - 4°C lower.

If the underfloor heating were to be turned off completely the cement screed would cool down too far below optimum background temperature: depending on time of the year, this would delay room warm up times by up to 2 hours. In order to prevent the screed thermal mass dropping too low, it is more efficient to maintain the floor at a constant lower temperature. Using this setback method will quickly bring the floor heating system back up to operating, ambient thermostat settings.

Water underfloor heating has many advantages over traditional radiator heating. Radiators convect heat into the room, creating rising currents of warm air concentrating at the ceiling level: this type of convection heating is wasteful and inefficient. Underfloor heating operates by radiating heat energy into the room at the floor level, gently and evenly warming the room: this method of heating is cheaper to run than radiator heating by up to 20%. When the pipework is incorporated in the screed at the outset, the installation costs are no more than radiator systems; coupled with the added savings on operating costs, the payback time for a water underfloor system is financially viable.

Modern underfloor heating is unobtrusive, allowing the freedom to position furnishings and units wherever you want, without having to compromise on design considerations that would otherwise be the case with conventional, wall mounted radiators. By eliminating old fashioned, inefficient radiators from the walls, the days of having to arrange furniture in the warmest spots in the room, close to radiators, are over.

Finally, with radiator heating, no matter how warm the ambient temperature in the room, the floor will always be uncomfortably cold, particularly where hard floor surfaces like tiles or laminate flooring has been chosen. The great advantage of water underfloor heating is that this form of heating not only warms the room more efficiently at a lower cost, it also gives a luxurious Mediterranean feel to walk on; tiles and laminate floors now have a welcoming warm surface.

As a specialist, online underfloor heating company, Floor Heating Ltd understands the need for maximum internet exposure and visibility across search engines.

Floor Heating Ltd has been trading on the internet under the domain name of www.floorheating.ltd.uk for the past 5 years. Through extensive, ethical Search Engine Optimisation techniques, this domain has considerable history of association with linked websites, registration with all the top directories and numerous articles written about Floor Heating. Over time, this SEO has brought about a significant improvement within the Google natural listings, achieving top 5 positions for the majority of the important keywords and phrases associated within the underfloor heating industry.

It was recognised some time ago that the domain name with ‘.ltd.uk’ is not a memorable one, and is rarely used by the internet community. Floor Heating identified that an improved domain name would have a more broad based recognition for the internet user and existing customers returning to the website. As a secondary consideration, it is anticipated that the new domain will be more search engine friendly.

A search was begun for a domain name that would be more representative to the company, but all available domains that suited were already taken; the alternative was to pay for an existing domain. After exhaustive searches for a suitable domain name, www.floorheating.com was identified as the ideal candidate. After protracted negotiations with a third party, Floor Heating finally agreed on a price for their new domain name www.floorheating.com.

Following the Google Webmaster guidelines, a 301 (permanent redirect) was set up on the server to redirect all the old domain name traffic onto the new domain. Google has now reinstated all the Floor Heating listings with a noticeable improvement in the rankings as a result.

Now at last, after 5 years, Floor Heating Ltd can rightly claim to have a global brand domain name that is truly representative of the company, reflecting the value of the website; both in terms of informative content and quality of product.

Due to exceptionally strong demand from our customers for a high output 200W/m² heating mat, Floor Heating Ltd are pleased to announce the addition of a new range of electric underfloor heating mats, designed specifically for conservatory heating. The new High Output heating mats are also suitable for areas of high heat loss, or where no additional insulation is being installed over a concrete sub-floor.

The new High Output heating mats have been added to compliment the extensive range of Standard Output 150W m² heating mats already on offer; allowing customers a wider selection of electric underfloor heating systems to choose from, suitable for any floor heating situation.

The new conservatory heating mats come with a 10-year guarantee, the same as our Standard Output heating mats.

When the company started trading 5 years ago we took a bold decision not to offer kits (mats or cables, plus a thermostat, in a box) as we felt the customer should be free to select from a choice of market leading fully programmable, digital, manual or the latest technology touch screen thermostats. This way our customers can select a controller that fits in with their décor, complimenting the room. All thermostats come with either a 2 or 3-year manufacturer’s guarantee.

All Floor Heating Ltd mats and cables are sold separately, allowing the freedom to choose individual mats or cables to suit the installation, without being forced to buy a thermostat that would otherwise come with each kit.

Floor Heating Ltd has been successfully supplying electric underfloor heating mats and cables, thermostats, Fastwarm insulation boards, flexible adhesives and levelling compounds to over 30,000 satisfied customers during the past 5 years.

The introduction of the new High Output 200W/m² conservatory under floor heating mats are a welcome addition to the website, offering a wider selection to suit any floor heating application.

Floor Heating Ltd are pleased to announce the addition of the Vysa-Therm 3000 underfloor heating thermostat to their extensive range of market leading thermostatic controllers.

It was decided to add the Vysa-Therm 3000 to the range due to its 16 amp loading capacity and ease of use. The Vysa-Therm 3000 comes factory preset by the manufacturers for temperature and on/off times: no programming is required, including the clock settings.

The addition of the Vysa-Therm 3000 compliments the choice of thermostats already available in the Floor Heating online webshop: ranging from a manual dial thermostat; two different designs of fully programmable, digital, dual function controllers; through to a state-of-the-art touch screen, multi-function controller.

The Vysa-Therm 3000 is the ideal choice for those customers who prefer to have more control over their underfloor heating system but don’t feel comfortable with programming the temperature and on/off settings themselves.

The manual dial thermostat is the ideal choice for those customers who do not feel inclined to program the temperature settings and on/off times - allowing the customer the freedom of manual control - using a simple-to-operate dial.

The digital controllers offered are manufactured by market leading companies, available as either 13 amp, 15amp and now 16 amp, with 4 programmable on/off times and independent temperature settings.

The touch screen, multi-function controller has been designed for those customers who prefer the most up-to-date electronic equipment. With it’s backlit blue screen and no buttons, it’s clean lines will compliment any room; making it the perfect choice for those customers seeking the ultra-modern look.

So, whatever your underfloor heating system, Floor Heating can now claim to offer the widest choice of thermostats available online, with controllers to suit all individual lifestyle patterns, from manual to fully programmable. The modern stylish designs will compliment any home and are guaranteed to fit in with any room décor.

For piece of mind, all thermostats are offered with 2-3 year manufacturers’ warranties, in the rare event of a failure of the unit.