Electric Underfloor Heating?

GromitFan · 13 March 2008 at 4:48PM

Hi there.

Does anyone have electric underfloor heating as the primary heating for their home? Paricularly flat ribbon variety as opposed to under floor piped water system.

We are moving home at the end of April and the house we are moving to has electric panel heaters, which we are keen to replace. There is no mains gas in the area, so that's not an option. The house we are in just now has oil fired central heating, but we don't want the expense of installing an oil system, especially with the escalating oil prices (now over double the price we were paying 3 1/2 years ago).

So, at present we're thinking of staying with electric, but getting rid of the old panel heaters that are currently in our new house.

I've been looking online and have found the following websites:
http://www.allbriteuk.co.uk/
http://www.stepwarmfloor.co.uk/
http://www.floor-heating.co.uk/vysa_mat_popular_heating_mats-559.html
http://www.rayotec.com/electric_underfloor_heating/

Obviously I'm a bit nervous about going away from radiator-type heating that I'm used to and I'm therefore keen to hear from anyone that has installed this type of electric underfloor heating in their home as their primary heat-source.

And if anyone has had any dealings with Allbrite UK, Step Warmfloor, Vysal, Rayotec, or if there are any other companies that you'd recommend (or ones to avoid).

Thanks in advance.

Cardew · 13 March 2008 at 5:37PM

Whatever claims made about these systems they produce no more(or no less) heat for a given cost than any other electrical heating system running on daytime electricity.(excluding expensive to instal heat pump systems)

i.e. Your panel heaters will produce the same heat output.

Have you considered modern storage heaters running Economy 7? At least with these you will be able to heat your Hot Water at Economy 7 rates.

The disadvantages of storage heaters is that they can run out of heat if they are used all day(although modern systems are better in this respect) but if you do need to top up during the day it will only cost the same as the underfloor heating.

GromitFan · 13 March 2008 at 5:47PM

I don't think they are storage heaters - just panel heaters, but regardless of what electric system we were running, we were planning on getting changed onto Economy 10 tariff as I think that will be more useable for us than Economy 7 tariff.

I know what you are saying about all electric heating systems producing the same heat for the same amount of power you put in, but I do believe that a panel heater will act like a radiator in that it will be warmest closest to it as opposed to evenly spread throughout the room, which may then mean you have to use more power in panel heaters/radiators to achieve the same effect 10 feet away for example.

Just thinking of underfloor in that it would give a more even heat throughout the room (though obviously warmest at the floor before someone points that out). Plus it means that we don't need to keep ugly panel heaters on the wall. Radiators on the other hand I can almost see a use for as you can hang washing over them to dry, but to my knowledge you are not able to do that with panel heaters. Oh, and I don't think we fancy going down the route of putting a wet electric central heating system into the house.

sassybooboos · 13 March 2008 at 5:49PM

my uncle develops and sells property and he decided to try under floor heating in his new house which he has said is rubbish. normally installs combi boiler with radiators which i know is no good to you.

i once had economy severn heaters and they cost a fortune to run as they took so long to heat the bricks up inside and then it got too hot but you can't cool them down quick either so it was a nightmare.

hope you find a good solution.

Electric Underfloor Heating?

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