Under Floor Heating? The Upsides and Downsides

Under floor heating systems have become more and more popular in recent years.

With such systems the heating of rooms is from the floor up compared to normal central heating where radiators effectively heat rooms from the ceiling downwards.

There are two types of under floor heating systems: electric-based, which uses electric heating cable; water-based, which involves the circulation of heated water through pipes.

Using the systems the area to be heated is split into separate zones which can be heated and controlled independently.

Water-based Under floor heating uses water heated to a lower temperature than conventional water central heating - typically 50°C rather than 60°C plus – and because of that, it is claimed, it is cheaper to run than heating using radiators.

Naturally, due to the fact there are no radiators on walls, there is less restriction on placing furniture in rooms and fewer areas where dust will settle, so rooms are easier to keep clean. Floors in bathrooms, shower rooms, kitchens and so on will dry off quicker, too.

The biggest complaint about under floor heating is the relatively slow response time of the system, especially where the pipe or cable is embedded in a solid floor.

Even where a wooden floor is placed on top it can take 30 minutes to an hour to warm up the floor. And it’s much worse if the floor is made from concrete. Such floors can take several hours to warm up. 

Of course, these time lags might not be considered a drawback if the property is occupied all the time or if the under floor heating is merely background heating.