Is a heated floor really going to keep your whole house warm, or would you still need some other heaters to get you through those winter months?
In fact, underfloor heating will easily provide all your heating requirements.
The important thing to keep in mind though is that there are several different types of underfloor heating, and not all are designed as your primary home heating source.
With underfloor central heating, you should have a qualified engineer designing the system for you. They will undertake a complete heat load calculation based on your house plans, and then size the equipment and pipework accordingly to ensure that your home can be adequately heated all year round.
Your designer should be providing details plans and calculations to show that their design will work. They shouldn’t be relying on ‘rules of thumb’ to size pipes or boilers.
Underfloor central heating is very common throughout Europe and North America, but is still a niche product in the Southern Hemisphere.
More common is electric underfloor heating, which you might use in your bathroom or ensuite to heat your floor tiles. This is designed to provide comfort while you’re using the bathroom, but isn’t designed to keep your entire house warm.
These systems are designed to be used sparingly – you’d turn it on when you go into the bathroom, and switch it off when you leave. Often, they’re not designed to be left on indefinitely.
Conversely, a warm water type of central heating system works fine when used all winter.
If you’re looking for a heating solution to keep you and your family warm and comfortable all winter, underfloor heating is one of the best and most cost-effective options on the market.