Sensibly you have chosen underfloor heating for use this coming winter, properly installed and with the right heat output you will be on the road to a warm home or workplace, with savings on running costs too but you will need to choose your floor coverings carefully. A thick carpet for example may have the effect of insulating your room from the very thing that’s trying to heat it. Check with suppliers that your choice of floor covering is compatible with underfloor heating. You should also be warned that some carpet shop assistants will look at you a bit strangely when you refer to TOG ratings and insulating effects.

Carpeting a floor that contains UFH is a bit like putting a duvet cover on a radiator. It will have an effect. As a rule of thumb, the thicker (or heavier) the combination of underlay and carpet, the greater the insulating effect. Heat will of course percolate through but it will take time. If you are choosing carpet over underfloor heating choose with care and try to minimise the combined TOG rating of your carpet and underlay.

Underfloor heating heats from the floor upwards, which allows an even distribution of heat, maximising comfort levels. Radiators only offer localised heat and normally need to run at a much higher temperature. Heat from radiators convects up to ceiling level leaving the temperature at floor level much lower. This concentration of heat at head height can cause discomfort.

Underfloor heating is easy to control because the small temperature difference between the floor and the air above means the system is easy to regulate. Also, you can individually adjust temperature settings in each room of the house. All of this can mean that underfloor heating can result in a 15-40% energy saving over traditional heating methods. By using underfloor heating you can gain more useable space when compared to traditional heating methods.

Underfloor heating systems are suitable for both domestic and commercial applications. There are particular advantages in public areas where exposed hot surfaces can be dangerous.

Because the floor is the source of heating a room it is useful to understand that some things should be avoided when installing the system. This applies whether water or electricity is used as the heat source. The same level of comfort is achieved with the temperature in an under floor heated room about 2°C lower than in a room heated with conventional radiators. Wall mounted radiators act as convectors to heat the air, with underfloor heating, the whole floor area acts as an emitter for radiated heat. Advantages include that as there is no need for radiators, there is less restriction on placing furniture in the room also less ‘dust traps’ so the rooms are easier to keep dust free. In wet areas, (bath, shower rooms, kitchen etc) the floors will dry off quicker.

There are some things that should be avoided when installing underfloor heating. It should not be fitted under floor mounted units, which is quite easy to arrange in a kitchen where the position of base units etc are fixed. However it is not realistic, or necessary, to restrict the underfloor heating in other rooms where the position of cupboards etc are not fixed and may be changed.

Underfloor heating is an ideal medium with which to heat a home or building and be eco friendly at the same time. Using a water based system can make this possible as a water based ufh uses water heated to a lower temperature than conventional water central heating (typically 50°C rather than 70°C plus), which makes it ideal for use with a high efficiency condensing boilers; the lower operating temperature also makes it more suitable for use with heat pumps or solar water heaters, very eco friendly.

The water temperature in the underfloor heating system is controlled by mixing the return water in the pipe with hot water from the boiler to achieve the required temperature; this is then passed to a manifold for distribution to the various zones. Normally an existing conventional boiler will suit ufh; however it may be necessary to fit a higher rated pump as the back pressure may be greater than in a conventional radiator type central heating system.