Underfloor Heating - Is It Really Cheaper To Run?

With cold winters occurring more often in some parts of the world, many people have started looking at options for keeping their house warm and cozy, heating options that are kinder to environment and cheaper on their pockets.

Underfloor heating is the most economical and efficient way of heating the rooms. There are two types of systems - wet underfloor systems where crosslinked water pipes are laid under the floor and electric systems, where electric cables are laid to radiate heat energy. The cost of installing an underfloor heating system depends upon the surface area to be heated as well as the age of the construction. Installation cost is less if the building is new and the installation set-up is planned during the construction. But it becomes expensive and slightly difficult to retrofit in an existing property. Wet systems are best suited in new under construction buildings because the water pipes can be laid out and buried in the floor as it is constructed. However electric systems are appropriate for renovating existing properties. In electric underfloor heating, the height of the floor of an existing building is raised only by a few millimetres to lay down the heating cables on the top of insulation board or the existing sub-floor.

Apart from cheaper installation than the traditional heating systems, the running costs of underfloor heating systems is considerably lower. These systems reduce the consumption of energy by using low water temperatures compared to conventional systems. The reduced input temperature of the heating system therefore requires lower output temperatures from the boiler - so low in fact that even a ground source heat pump can be used instead of a boiler, and that reduces running costs even further. This maximises the Coefficient of Performance (COP), which further results in high efficiency and low running and maintenance costs than the traditional radiator systems.

The extent of energy conserving abilities depend upon usage patterns, the cost of power source, insulation and the individual requirements of the users. The energy conserving efficiency of underfloor heating will reduce if you increase the heating temperature of the room to get the same ambient air temperature as you get in conventional heating systems - but this should not be necessary, as rooms typically feel comfortable with an air temperature several degrees lower than that found in a conventionally heated house, thanks to the radiant heat from the floor, and the lack of draughts.

Another way in which these systems reduce your heating bills is their efficient individual room thermostat. Underfloor systems are controlled on an individual room to room basis instead of a single thermostat as is often used with traditional radiators. Thermostats can be programmed in those rooms where heating is required. This creates perfect situation for floor heating efficiency, and results in energy efficiency as energy is not wasted in rooms that do not require heating. Underfloor heating saves up to 10-40 % of energy as compared to conventional heating systems.

By reducing electricity bills and heating costs, it helps in saving earth's natural resources and dependency on fossil fuels. Therefore it is an eco-friendly method of heating your house. In today's economic climate, the focus is both on cost-efficiency and sustainability and underfloor heating systems fulfil these two requirements. Installing wet or electric underfloor heating systems makes economic as well as ecological sense.