Underfloor Heating Guide

Underfloor heating, also known as radiant underfloor heating, is a way of heating a house through the floor. This is most common in bathrooms, but can also be an extremely efficient way of heating an entire house. Underfloor Heating guide will help you learn more about underfloor heating options, and how to apply it to your house.

The basic concept of underfloor heating is heat radiation. Heat naturally transfers from warmer places to cooler places through a process called radiation. This radiation is what you feel when you get close a heat source such as a wood stove, fireplace, campfire, or grill. That radiation is leveraged to help keep both the flooring material, and the air close to the floor warm. The floor absorbs a lot of heat from the heat source underneath, and then slowly gives off the heat. Anything that is touching the floor will also warm, such as your feet, mats, the walls, and other furniture. With all the items absorbing heat, there is a much larger store of heat energy, which can then be given off slowly throughout the day or night.

There are two methods of underfloor heating.  Water, or hot water, utilizes a hot water tank that pumps water through pipes.  Electric uses electricity to heat coils.

Water radiant heating uses a hot water tank to produce hot water.  An electric hot water pump then pushes the water through the pipes that are laid under the floor.  The heat from the water is transferred to the floor.  The water is then reheated, and the process starts again. 

Water radiant heating is not a DIY project, as it is a pretty complicated system.  You will need a hot water tank and water pump installed, and water pipes fitted and laid.  Then the sub floor must be prepped to take the flooring material.

Electric underfloor heating uses electricity to heating coils below the floor.  The electric coils typically come prefabricated in roll out mats.  These mats are normally fitted for ease of attachment to one another to customize the size of the heating area.  Some are more complicated than others, which might require an installer with appropriate knowledge to help.  There are variations that are DIY friendly though.

Generally speaking, water underfloor heating is more complicated and less efficient type of heating.  There are many steps in the production of heat for the floor to radiate, and many pieces of equipment involved.  This means that there will be service requirements for equipment, and the likelihood of having equipment malfunction is increased.  You also must have a professional install the items and make sure they are running smoothly. Electric underfloor heating is considerably less complicated to install and run.  It is simply laid down on the sub floor and hooked up to electricity.  You will probably still need a professional to install it, but you will face much lower installation fees due to the simplicity of the project. 

Water radiant heating does lend it self very well to 2 different environmentally friendly technologies.  Solar hot water heating can be tied directly into the water underfloor heating system, and may be able to completely eliminate the need for a hot water heating element.  This could reduce your energy needs.  Second, using geothermal heating is possible with water radiant heating.  Water that has cooled from use in heating the floor can run through a geothermal line, which can heat the water slightly to the earth’s crust average temperature.  This water will then require less energy to heat because it is already at a higher temperature. 

Electric underfloor heating also lends itself well to an environmentally friendly technology.  Solar electric panels are great power sources for the electric heating coils.  Even if you have a partially sunny day, you could get all the power you need to run the electric radiant heating system.

If you were going to get a underfloor heating system, and install it without using solar or geothermal technologies, your best choice would probably be electrical.  This is not to say that for your specific flooring size, materials or needs that water might not be better.  Even with the information in this guide, you should still seek further help from a professional to make sure you get the most efficient unit for your house.

Underfloor heating is not only a great way to keep your bathroom tiles toasty warm on a winter morning; it is also an efficient way to heat your whole house.  The average comfortable temperature fore most households is 70 degrees.  The most common heat source is forced hot air.  This requires air to be heating with a heating element, then forced through ductwork by means of electrical fans.  In order to maintain a temperature of 70 degrees with forced hot air, the thermostat must normally be set at 75 degrees.  With underfloor heating, the thermostat could be set at 70 degrees and it would feel like 70 degrees. 

The reason that forced hot air is so inefficient is that typically vents are either up high on the walls, or on the floors point straight up.  The hot air is blown out cause movement in the airflow.  The hot are continues to move, and rises due to properties of hot air.  This results in huge variations of heat throughout a house.  A 2-story house might be near 60  - 65 degrees on the bottom level (especially if you have an open floor plan) and pushing 75 – 80 on the upper level(s).  All the air movement just simply keeps hot air flowing upwards. 

Underfloor heating uses radiation as its way of transferring heat, and this results in less heat loss to the ceiling of rooms.  The floor absorbs energy, and transfers it very readily to surrounding items, such as bottoms of walls and furniture.  All these items then release heat slowly into the air through radiation, and keep it warm.  The floor also transfers heat directly to the surrounding air.  When a person walks into a room heated with radiant heating, it will feel the temperature they set their thermostat to, regardless of whether it is on the first or third floor. 

Since under floor heating only heats the area close to where you will be in your house, and not your ceiling level, it is a very efficient way of heating.  If you utilize solar or geothermal technologies along with your underfloor heating, you could potentially pay nothing for heating during your cool months.

The first thing you need to do is decide what type of underfloor radiant heating you want for your house.  You should see someone who specializes in this technology, and have them help you decide what would be best.  The installation would require removal or disassembly of your floor.  This is a great thing to do when you plan on remodeling a room or house, or building an addition or house.  Once you have decided the best type of heating, whether through your own research or with someone’s help, you should find someone to install it for you.  Educate yourself on the technology as much as you can, and learn ways to conserve energy. If you are going to go through all the expense to get the underfloor heating, you should learn to save money and energy in everyway possible.