WHY UNDERFLOOR HEATING?
An underfloor heating system heats predominantly by radiation. This is the most natural and comfortable form of heating – like the sun. Radiant energy emitted by the floor is partly reflected by each surface and partly absorbed. Where it is absorbed, that surface becomes a secondary emitter. After a while, all surfaces become secondary emitters. Furnishings themselves radiate energy and the room becomes evenly and uniformly warmed. The energy reaches into every corner of the room – no cold spot, no hot ceilings and no cold feet!
UFH gives ‘invisible’ warmth and as there are no hot surfaces, UFH is safer and cleaner than radiator systems with dust and air movement greatly minimised – ideal for modern living.
UFH also has the benefit of being low maintenance – no need for painting radiators or cleaning around them. The system requires no additional service maintenance over a radiator system – the boiler/heat pump etc. should be serviced as normal to the manufacturers recommendations.
When compared to a radiator system, the overall effectiveness of a UFH system can be seen below. The heat is concentrated where it is most required for comfort and energy efficiency.
Underfloor Heating System
Advantages
Good for the environment
Financially comparable to a radiator system to buy/install
Up to 55% less
energy required
More cost effective
than radiators to run
A comfortable heat without cold or hot spots
Can be controlled by room / time / temperature – saving money!
Can Underfloor Heating be used with Heat Pumps?
Absolutely! Underfloor heating is the perfect partner for any heat source, especially heat pumps.
Heat pumps are designed to be used with a flow temperature around 35°C. Radiators need to be much larger than when used with boilers, therefore creating issues around fitment and room design. More often than not, heat pumps used with radiators are being used at 50°C-55°C flow temperature, greatly affecting the heat pump efficiency.
Correctly designed UFH systems will enable a heat pump to flow at 35°C (or lower!) and therefore there is a significant energy saving and improvement in efficiency over using radiators – not to mention the feeling of comfort that is not felt with radiators.
What flooring can be used with underfloor heating?
It may surprise you that most flooring can be used with underfloor heating. There are some limitations i.e thickness of carpets and wood, however the choice is wide.
Tiles, LVT (luxury vinyl tiles eg. Karndean, Amtico, Luvanto etc.), laminate, wood and carpet can all be used with underfloor heating.
