We have all heard of Eco-homes that are beginning to appear on the streets of many towns.

We have also heard of these houses using renewable energy sources, benefitting the residence by cutting down their energy bills.

But who would have heard of a specially designed bat cavern equipped with underfloor heating, solar panels and using renewable energy sources? Seems like a strange concept to provide such a technically crafted energy saving home to little creatures of the night!

Nonetheless it would appear that the Kier housing and construction group have made it possible for the bats to live in comfort whilst benefiting the environment. The bat house is located in Scotland and was opened to the bats in June this year. The original plan was to turn the Winston Barracks, near Lanark, into new homes, approximately 350 new houses, but the group were forced to stop upon the discovery of a colony of bats.

The organisation was not permitted to disturb the bat colony; therefore, a new innovative approach was conducted. The decision was made to provide the bats with their own home that had an underfloor heating system, solar panels and energy efficient insulation. The idea was to house them first keeping them safe, before continuing on with the pre-planned housing development for local people. The overall cost for building the bat house amounted to £50,000 and is the first of its kind in Scotland.

Using an underfloor heating system is not just a luxury for bats though. Animal care homes have taken the time to revamp their abodes for a more eco-friendly environment, benefiting the animals residing in the building. The Small Animals Referral Hospital in Bristol has also included underfloor heating for the dog kennels and their adjacent outdoor runs. Cat cages have also been fitted with appropriate heating and air conditioning, taking animal care to the next level.

round the year 37 AD the Koreans developed an underfloor heating system to rival that of the Roman hypocaust Although it arrived later than the Roman style of underfloor heating some experts believe it to be more efficient and accessible to the general populace. The heating system called, ondol which literally means warm stone incorporated underfloor heating into the general practicalities of running a house.

Where the hypocaust used an external furnace to heat one main room of the house which then distributed the heat underfloor to the rest of the house, the ondol actually heated the house from the heat produced by the stove in the kitchen. The heat from the kitchen located at a lower level was channelled through a system of smoke passages using the convection caused by a chimney fitting that created a draft.

The heat travelled through the smoke passages which were lined with thin stone called kudul, translating as fired stone. These stones would retain heat and the floor used insulation in the form of layers of paper on the floor to assist in trapping of heat. Due to this mechanism the heating system could retain heat from one heating from 30 days to 3 months making it the most energy efficient ancient heating system.

In the early 1990s, as Western heating systems began to replace modern forms of ondol the Korean people spoke out claiming that they were losing part of their culture. This lead to the resurgence of ondol and even today hotel rooms can be booked which use this traditional form of underfloor heating as opposed to modern Western heating systems.

With the current turbulent economic climate fuelled by rocketing energy prices these are harsh times for many of us, especially the most vulnerable in society. Gordon Brown has stepped up to the mark and unveiled a plan to protect the elderly and other vulnerable citizens from the profiteering schemes of the energy companies.

Including existing measures the new package culminates in a whopping 6.5 billion GBP, focussing on the insulation of every household by the year 2020. The best part of the package is that the PM has thrown a bill of 910 million GBP back at the energy companies to assist those most at risk of fuel poverty.

These energy efficiency measures include free cavity, wall and loft insulation for pensioners and low income households as well as halving the cost of insulation for all homes. Some fear that these measures are too little too late, with an expected five million homes not being able to afford fuel this winter.

A fuel poverty charter has been devised by a charity coalition which itemises various measures of importance, one of the top on the list is underfloor insulation. Underfloor heating has recently been officially recognised as more energy efficient by a reduction in its SAP rating and combined with insulation can save money.

In the coastal town of Brading on the Isle of White there has recently been an intriguing discovery. Victorian architects previously excavated a site that they thought to be a barn, however an Oxford based archaeological team have revisited and revealed that it is something much more exciting.

They have discovered one of the highest profile Roman villas ever on the British isles. The site is the equivalent size of an Olympic swimming pool and must have been the residence of a person of great importance. It is perhaps too great a task to unveil the identity of the high flying Roman who took residence there but they had all the mod cons of the time, including the latest in ancient underfloor heating technology.

The presence of an underfloor heating system was one of the crucial factors in establishing the status of the residence, as other large structures could account for the foundations, however underfloor heating systems were reserved for the very wealthy. The hypocaust is a system that passes heat or steam from a furnace outside, under the floor which is raised on small pillars, spreading heat throughout the house.

The hypocausts were a far cry from contemporary DIY electric underfloor heating kits as they were complex systems and in Aril 2007 it was voted the most important heating invention of all time by the British Heating and Ventilation Association. The intricacies of the heating system cannot yet be explored as funding had not been secured for the complete excavation.

It is estimated at 250,000GBP to complete the dig and until that time the site will need to be filled back in, so that the remains may be preserved until a time when the funding is in place. The site is over 18 centuries old making the hypocaust one of the oldest in the country, luckily today we have underfloor heating much more readily available!

Putley village hall in a sleepy part of Herefordshire four miles west of Ledbury is set to make waves in the world of energy efficiency with plans give it a £300,000 energy makeover. The committee who has brain stormed the energy saving initiative is putting together a “large” lottery application and arranging fund raising drive.

The hall itself dates back to the 1920s so was not built with energy efficiency in mind and currently uses an ancient convectional radiator heater system. Convection heating has been proven to be less energy efficient than space heating systems such as underfloor heating and one of the main developments is installing an underfloor heating system.

There is one main difference, as it is not an electric underfloor heating system. It will be powered by a ground source heat pump which is otherwise known as a geothermal heat pump. This can draw heat from a few feet below the surface of the earth which maintains a constant temperature throughout the year, it can also return heat to the earth during the summer to cool the hall.

The village hall will also be given a thorough insulation makeover to prevent heat from escaping and energy will be supplemented by solar panels. The hall is only used sporadically so the cost of use being brought down is a major concern to the parish committee alongside the green effects of the developments.

Although based on twice a week hire the hall might have to be booked for about 96 years constantly to actually make the money back it is thought that this trend might catch on. The refurbishment if approved is estimated at 18 months, luckily however domestic underfloor heating is a lot more cost effective and easy to install!

Despite having only 22.2% of the population of China, the United States uses over double the energy.

In every household an average of 42% of energy bills are spent on heating, with 36% on lighting and appliances, 14% on water heating and 9% on refrigeration.

By insulating your home in walls, doors, floors, windows and skirting boards you can save 10% or more on your annual heating expenditure.

Central heating is the process of heating your whole home however money can be saved by switching to space heating systems that heat individual rooms.

Underfloor heating can save you money on your heating bill especially when it is combined with the latest in Marmox insulation .

The East and South East regions of the UK are the highest producing regions of renewable energy accounting for about 35% of the total generation.

81.8% of all renewable energy utilisation comes from biomass. This includes landfill gas, waste combustion and even animal biomass.

Underfloor heating produces what is called ’optimum heat distribution’, unlike convectional heaters the heat is spread evenly from the floor up.

Due to the circulation of heat in convectional radiator heating systems, this can cause the spread of dust which can affect allergies.