underfloor electric heating query?

gromituk

Alan_M wrote:

The technology is advancing all the time and the systems become more effecient

No they don't - they are already 100% efficient. All the electrical energy you put in is converted to heat, and the best you could hope for is better insulation underneath so you lose a little less into the floor.

Of course, 100% efficient does not mean environmentally friendly, because there are large losses in the conversion from fuel to electricity.

If you mean more powerful, then maybe - but you'll pay even more through the nose to run them.

Electric underfloor heating is a very expensive thing to run. Unlike storage heaters, it has to use peak rate electricity, at about four times the unit cost compared with mains gas.

gromituk

VixxAnn wrote:

http://www.allbriteuk.co.uk/
we are pleased to introduce to you the most technologically advanced yet easy to install underfloor heating system.
It is so advanced it fits under any floor covering as a PRIMARY heat source and it can save money on existing heating costs.

The only way it can save money on heating costs is if you currently heat with elecric heaters - and not storage heaters - i.e. the most expensive form of heating available. And the amount it saves will be tiny.

Alan_M_2

gromituk wrote:

No they don't - they are already 100% efficient. All the electrical energy you put in is converted to heat, and the best you could hope for is better insulation underneath so you lose a little less into the floor.

Of course, 100% efficient does not mean environmentally friendly, because there are large losses in the conversion from fuel to electricity.

If you mean more powerful, then maybe - but you'll pay even more through the nose to run them.

Electric underfloor heating is a very expensive thing to run. Unlike storage heaters, it has to use peak rate electricity, at about four times the unit cost compared with mains gas.

I meant effecient in terms of overall purchase price, installation and running costs.

As you pointed out there have already been some powerful systems in production for some time but these generally require specialist and expensive installation, many of them in screed rather than on top which is normally more than the average customer can afford or wants to spend.

gromituk

Having them in screed increases the thermal mass, which means they are less controllable, which tends to lead to more waste - you have to switch them on earlier in the day to release warmth when you need it. The basic efficiency of an electrical element will never change though - it is 100%