Have you had a question about underfloor heating? We have taken time to look at seven of the most frequently asked questions and summarised them below.
1. Does Floor Heating only heat the floor?
Underfloor heating not only heats the floor, but it can be the primary source of heating for the whole room. Floor heating produces radiant heat rising up from the floor meaning it can be one of the most efficient ways to heat your home as a primary source. The benefit of installing underfloor heating is you can customise how you want it to be used. Some of our clients have chosen to install throughout their home and some have chosen to heat specific rooms only for example their bathrooms.
2. How do I know which floor heating is best for my home?
Firstly let’s start with which type of floor heating you want. There are two types of floor heating: Hydronic (where your floors are warmed by water running through pipes under your floor) and Electric (underfloor heating using electricity). Both methods heat the floor and take advantage of the fact that hot air rises, heating the room in the process.
To find out the best suitable for your project read more here.
3. How do Electric and Hydronic really compare?
We have listed some benefits of both electric & Hydronic floor heating.
| Electric | Hydronic | |
| Suitable for all floor coverings | Yes | No |
| Mechanical Room Required | No | Yes |
| Can be Installed in a Renovation | Yes | Depends |
| Outside Venting Required | No | Yes |
| Initial Cost to Set Up | $ | $$$ |
| Minimal Floor Height Added | Minimal | None |
| Maintenance required | Little to none | Regular |
| DIY Installation | Yes | No |
| Energy Efficient | Yes | Yes *more efficient long term |
4. Can I heat specific rooms at a time and not the whole house?
If you have heating throughout your home in the installation process you are able to decide which zones you want. For example, if the living room is next to the dining room and you know they will be used at the same time then it is better to heat them together. Each zone will be controlled with one of our smart thermostats enabling you to customise the schedule of use for each specific area. This enables you to determine the times you want your floors to turn on and off throughout the week.
5. Is Floor Heating suitable for the flooring I have chosen?
Underfloor heating works under most floor surfaces. One thing to note is that different materials and different finishes will produce different results, depending on their thermal conductivity. It is always a good idea to check with the flooring manufacturer to confirm compatibility with underfloor heating.
6. Does underfloor heating raise the floor levels?
As floor heaters are installed directly beneath your floor finish, there may be some impact to floor heights but in many cases, this will be unnoticeable, as the heater can be installed directly within a layer of tile adhesive or fitted directly into the subfloor itself.
Electric heaters are available as either heating mats (2mm thickness) or heating wire-based systems (6mm thickness), both options often being only a few millimetres thick. Some electric heaters can be installed within the layer of thinset, tile adhesive or levelling compound used to fit your floor covering, meaning the system will not raise your floors.
7. Can I install floor heating myself?
If you are choosing a Hydronic wet based floor heating system then you will need an expert to install it.
Our Electric Floor Heating Systems comes as DIY kits, to enable you to choose to undertake installation yourself if you are a keen DIYer. Our FHK mat design offers a reduced installation time and does not require special tools or skills to plan their layouts.
How can we help you?
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.