Underfloor heating is not a new idea

As far back as Roman times, underfloor heating was used as a way to centrally heat buildings. For anyone who has been to the City of Bath, or looked at the Roman settlements along Hadrian’s Wall, particularly Vindolanda will see evidence of this early central heating system. They achieved this by passing hot air from a furnace through a labyrinth of small ducts beneath the floor; heat was imparted to the floor. In turn they relied on convection which heated the air in the living space, very much needed in Northern England.

This is a fine example of a very simple, yet effective principle providing a comfortable climate with even heat distribution. Modern underfloor heating works on a similar principle, but of course we now use hot water fed through pipes, or electric cables, buried into a screed, or for existing areas such as a conservatory, kitchen or bathroom a heating mat below the floor covering. Water underfloor heating is simple, efficient and economical to run, as the Romans found out.