new to underfloor heating, pls help

thisisthecount

We're buying off plan and we are going to be asking the developer to give us a price for fitting underfloor heating.

I have no idea on the typical running costs. I think based on the kitchen being 5650x4535 that equates to 252sq ft?

I was told we could not have the water type as we will be on LPG? And there is an "electric mat" type?

I would have thought I could remove the radiators and just use the floor as heating?

has anyone got any advice for me please?

thanks

penrhyn

No idea what LPG costs are but full rate electric heating is usually the most expensive going, no mains gas then?

Premier_2

There are 2 basic types of underfloor heating.

1. Water based. i.e. a pipe carrying hot water is hidden under the floor surface. Like a mini central heating system

2. Electric heating. An electric mat is hidden under the floor surface that heats up when electricty flows. Like an electric blanket.

An LPG system would be water based; the LPG heating water that then passes through the underfloor heating channels.

I guess the reason someone said not to install the water based heating is that if the floor is damaged, the pipes may fracture causing a significant mess.

Having said that, if you damage the floor that badly, you'll probably damage the electric mat too causing that to fail. Of course you won't suffer from water leakage with electricity, but repair of either willl mean removing the floor surface.

You say you are new to underfloor heating? Have you tried it elsewhere? Do you like to walk around your home without shoes/slippers? Some people with underfloor heating say the floor is too hot to comfortably do this.

Joyful

I have frequently come across people with underfloor heating in a couple of rooms only. They call about large bills. When they switch off the 2 rooms the heating drops drastically. Based on this I would never consider installing this form of heating.

thisisthecount

thanks for your pointers!

albyota

Have you considered an Air Source Heat Pump boiler? they are over 300% efficient and the cost of installing are comparable to LPG and the rest of it but with no 'tie ins' or contracts... they run on electricity, all the manufacturers are producing them from Mitsubishi, Daikin, Dimplex, Danfoss, Worcester Bosch, etc..try reseaching renewables ASHP in the midlands, I have replaced with the Mitsubishi Ecodan system, I have wet under floor heating and is the best heating system I have ever had. the running costs are very low, however if it is not designed and set up properly you will always be complaining about it being too hot or too cold, therefore too expensive, our UFH is perfect with a constant room temperature of 22.5 degrees. this is your ideal opportunity to install a system you will always be happy with... the floor temperature should not be hot to the feel with bare feet, this would mean its not set correctly. hope this helps.

TheMidge

As its a new build house insulation will be very good meaning that electric or wet systems will be cheaper for you than for people with older houses. I would go for a wet system, initially more expensive but gives you a full choice of heating sources wood pellet boiler, lpg, electric boiler, or ideally an Air Source Heat pump which should be miles cheaper to run than the other options, and is perfectly matched to wet underfloor heating, and maybe 25% of the running costs compared to electric underfloor. Now is the time to do things properly and save money for years to come.

thisisthecount

many thanks

CarterSwing

Thanks for the replies, I being a user of underfloor heating system and it is more convenient to warm my home and less expensive too..

melb

we have it kitchen shower room and bathroom because these are the rooms where we have tiling - the others are carpeted. We use ours sparingly and I wouldn't fancy stepping on tiles without it in the middle of winter. however we also have radiators and/or heated towel rails in the rooms and unless our system is poor we certainly wouldn't be able to rely solely on the underfloor heating in winter to warm the room.