Insulating your underfloor heating

Rightly your underfloor heating engineer with have adequately insulated the surface below the heating elements of your heating system, whether this be electric or water underfloor heating so do not insulate the top! If the underfloor heating is in a conservatory, kitchen or bathroom, it will in all probability be tiled so this will not present a problem.  If however the cables or pipes are within a concrete slab, you may rightly wish to either carpet or cover this with a wood laminate and this is where you must choose your floor covering carefully.

A thick carpet for example may have the effect of insulating your room from the very thing that’s trying to heat it and when choosing your carpet you should check that your choice of floor covering is compatible with underfloor heating. Carpeting a floor that has underfloor heating is a bit like putting a duvet cover on a radiator and is bound to have an effect. As a rule of thumb, the thicker the combination of underlay and carpet then the greater the insulating effect. It will still heat the room of course, but it will take longer using more precious fuel.