Underfloor Heating Systems - The Clever Way to Heat your Home

The concept of underfloor heating was developed 2,000 years ago when the early Romans used furnaces in cellars and other open spaces underneath floors to warm their ground floors.  This ancient home heating technique has evolved into the water- and electricity-based underfloor heating that so many homeowners are using and enjoying today.

Underfloor heating works with a combination of radiant and convection heat.  Electric heating cables or water pipes carrying warm water from a boiler system are buried in the floors structure.  The radiant heat from the cables or pipes travels in rays until it encounters the floor, and the floor then becomes warm.  The heat from the floor converts into convection heat as it travels into the air, expands, and rises.  This convection heat warms the air as it proceeds up to the ceiling. 

With underfloor heating, the warmest air is in the lower part of the room because the heat moves from the floor to the ceiling.  Heating from a radiator works only by convection heat, and the room is heated from the ceiling down to the floor, with the ceiling having the warmest air. 

Underfloor heating keeps your home at a comfortable temperature throughout the day and night.  The combination of radiant and convection heat results in a more even distribution of heat, and the warmest air remains at the floor level.  With the entire floor area acting as the heat emitter, every section of the room receives the same amount of warmth.  Controlling temperatures throughout the house is simple because each room has its own thermostat.  You can decide which rooms should be kept at a warmer or cooler temperature, ensuring that your underfloor heating system is effective and energy-efficient.

Because underfloor heating requires lower temperatures to heat a home than radiator heating systems, homeowners can save 20-25% on their heating bills.  Heating bills for more expansive homes can be lowered up to 40%.  Energy-efficient underfloor heating saves you money and helps protect the environment by using less energy.

Underfloor heating gives you more options for arranging the furniture in your rooms.  Radiators take up space, and you are restricted from placing objects close to radiators.  You can utilise every centimetre of space in a room when you use underfloor heating.  Underfloor heating requires less maintenance than traditional radiator heating, saving you time and money.  Floors that tend to become wet frequently, such as bathroom and kitchens, dry quickly with underfloor heating. 

You can install underfloor heating in both concrete and timber suspended floors.  A variety of floor finishes can be used with underfloor heating, including laminate, stone, hardwood, lino, and carpet.

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This page has been written with contributions from plumbers from Hertfordshire and Gas Safe engineers from Harrow. Several of the company's plumbing and heating engineers from Middlesex have worked on similar issues as well as some of our experienced plumbers from South Kensington and our Orpington experienced heating engineers.

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