Does underfloor heating have to be electric?

Underfloor heating can be either electric or hot water fed by a gas, oil or solid fuel boiler, but there are restrictions. For example if you are wanting to install underfloor heating to an existing home or office with a solid floor, unless you want to dig this out, electric heating mats fitted below the existing floor coverings is the simplest (and cheapest!) answer, similarly the same would apply to suspended wooden floors.

However if you are proposing to install underfloor heating from new, you have a full range of options and you can choose to have hot water piping buried into a screed, which can be fed from any heat source, be it a conventional boiler system, a biomass boiler, heat pump etc. It is also an option to have electric cables which are buried into the screed. Either way underfloor heating is clean, economical and very easy to control on a room by room basis.

21 Jan 2011

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Benefits of Underfloor Heating for Your Home

While many people think that underfloor heating is modern technology in fact the basic principles go back thousands of years. It was the Romans that harnessed the science of heated air so that they could provide heat to their Villas and Bathhouses.

There are two types of underfloor heating, wet and dry. Wet underfloor heating is the most common and just means that the heat is distributed along a network of multi-layered pipes that loop backwards and forwards in a circuit across the room. These pipes are connected to a manifold and from there to the boiler. As the cooler used water comes back into the boiler it is reheated and circulated again by a pump. The dry type of underfloor heating system uses electricity to power resistance elements inside insulated modern materials to provide the heat. The element is energized and de-energized as it receives room temperature feedback from the thermostat sensors.

Underfloor heating also runs more quietly than the conventional central heating systems. It is also worth considering the value that underfloor heating can have on your property. It has always been a great selling point because people will always consider it state-of-the-art and not something that would see in every home.

09 Jan 2011

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Why is underfloor heating different?

What makes underfloor heating systems different from conventional heating systems? Could it be the high-tech underfloor heating thermostats? Or the obvious that one is fixed under the floor rather than affixed against the wall? Actually it is both of these and more! Most homeowners will not have had underfloor heating installed perhaps because they simply do not know enough about this kind of system.

Underfloor heating has massive advantages and is a really useful way of saving money as well as having different but controlled heating to all areas of the home or workspace. Small differences such as the underfloor heating thermostats are programmable for each separate area, in separate rooms and can be timed for each individual room. The same however, cannot be done with conventional radiator heating because although the size of the radiator can be fitted to accommodate differing heat patterns, this means that if you want your bedroom heater on but have the rest of the heaters off, you will have to do this manually. Underfloor heating thermostats do not need the individual to manually turn off the heating systems in each room, nor do they need to raise the temperature on the thermostat to heat the rooms up quickly.

07 Jan 2011

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Bathroom Underfloor Heating Mat Kit

One room that benefits from underfloor heating more than any other is the bathroom or shower area. Tiled floors are the best for bathrooms which always get wet and heating these from beneath not only warms the tiles, but has the two fold benefit of drying off the floor and being nice and warm to stand upon.

The Bathroom underfloor heating Mat Kit is suitable for use on timber and concrete floors. It is fast to fit into square and rectangular rooms but can be shaped to fit more complex room shapes. The Bathroom Floor Heating Mat Kit is a 500mm wide 120 Watt per square metre self adhesive underfloor heating mat and the Kit also contains the floor thermostat and floor probe with a protective pipe for this sensor. The 7-day programmable thermostat is coloured white. Bathroom Floor Heating Mat Kit is only suitable for fitting under Tiled, Stone, Slate and similar floor finishes and has a lifetime mat guarantee.

05 Jan 2011

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Energy Efficient Personal heaters

Everyone’s personal thermostat seems to be different and it is hard to please everyone in a busy open plan office or workplace when it comes to getting the right heat for every person. Whilst you may be shivering the person at the next desk can be complaining about the heat! This is where a personal under desk heater can iron out these problems whilst at the same time keeping down the cost of your fuel bills.

The Energy Efficient Personal Heater create a cosy space of warmth and comfort no more clumsy, noisy floor heaters that can burn curious fingers while using up your electricity and costing up to ten times as much. Using only 190 or 100 watts of power the heater it gently bathes the individual’s lap with warmth, increasing circulation to the extremities and providing an all over feeling of warmth.

04 Jan 2011

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The benefits of installing underfloor heating

There are a great many benefits to installing underfloor heating, comfort being one of the foremost. This is largely due to underfloor heating workin from the floor upwards allowing an even distribution of heat and maximising comfort levels. Radiators only offer localised heat and need to run at a much higher temperature. Heat from radiators convects directly to ceiling level leaving the temperature at floor level much lower. A concentration of heat at head height can cause discomfort.

The system is easy to control with individual room control being a common feature of underfloor heating systems; you can individually adjust temperature settings in each room of the house. This adds to the cost effectiveness of underfloor heating. Underfloor heating can result in a 15-40% energy saving over traditional heating methods. And space is gained as you have more usable room space when compared to traditional heating methods.

16 Dec 2010

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Keep your feet cosy and warm this winter with under tile heating

The recent very cold snap has highlighted problems that can occur in homes, particularly bathrooms and kitchens. Bathrooms often only have towel warmers as a source of heat, but as many of us know, stepping out of your shower onto a cold vinyl or tiled floor can send shivers through your poor feet, as well as your body as the room could be cold. Similarly, kitchens are often colder than other areas, because cooking takes place in the kitchen it is often thought that other heat sources are not necessary. Also, because kitchens are normally on ground floor levels in houses or bungalows, in modern developments they are of solid floor construction which can be very cold to the feet.

The answer to these problems is to install under tile heating and in the case of existing homes, unless alterations are to take place, an electric heating mat is the answer to the problem and cold feet will be a thing of the past.

06 Dec 2010

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Improve your home with Under Floor Heating

When you want to make some home improvements, you should look for items that will help you save on your bills for heating, water and even electricity. You can find the latest designs when you go online for those items that are both attractive as well as safe to use. Underfloor heating today is the best way to make your house more comfortable with any temperature and air conditions. It is not a problem to add an underfloor heating to your apartment or house when you decide to install it.

Many people like underfloor heating, it is one of the best types of heating because it will not just warm your feet, but make your entire house warmer. You can put underfloor heating down before you lay down a new floor, an existing floor or you can also put it down under tile as well. There are many underfloor heating items that you can use even on existing floors, which are easy to install by a specialist supplier like Floor Heating Online, or fit yourself.

17 Nov 2010

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Underfloor Heating beneath Vinyl

Underfloor heating has tremendous advantages and can usually be fitted to most areas and below most floor covering materials. However, heating beneath Vinyl will require special consideration due to the maximum floor temperature limits permissible and the need to provide a solid surface on which to bond the flooring.

The subfloor must be well insulated with proper underfloor heating insulation beneath the screed, or by using an insulation material and then electric cables are attached to the surface prior to applying two applications of a Latex floor smoothing compound; the maximum temperature should not exceed 28 degrees centigrade. The effect of the heating on vinyl should be considered and the manufacturer should be contacted to see if their product will be seriously affected by heat from below.

05 Nov 2010

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Under tile heating explained

All underfloor heating systems require adequate insulation either beneath the screed or directly beneath the floor heating mats or cables. Assuming that the correct underfloor heating insulation is fitted below the screed, under tile heating cables or under tile heating kits can be installed directly onto the screed and then tiled or embedded within a two part latex levelling compound. If you are unsure of existing insulation properties of your floor, it would be recommended to fit an insulated tile backing board prior to installation of the heating system, with a minimum required insulation thickness of 6mm.

All solid floors whether concrete, screed or asphalt require some form of insulation incroporated into them, preferably above in the form of an insulated backing board prior to installation of your electric underfloor heating. Heating mats or cables are attached directly to the insulated screed or insulated tile backing board prior to tiling directly over with a flexible floor tile adhesive. Design will vary from 100w/m² to 175w/m² dependent on floor base specification and heating requirements.

03 Nov 2010

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Floor Heating Online, Grimsby, N.E Lincolnshire - - Call: 0845 644 8057 - - Email: info@floorheatingonline.com