Electric underfloor heating

AlexUK_3

Has anyone had electric underfloor heating installed. I have had a few garage conversion quotes (garage 6m x 3.5m) and one builder was saying how great it was and economical. Said all it is is sheet under laminated flooring and two wires to a thermostat, said all his customers have it rather than a radiator. Wants to charge me £145 more for it over a radiator.

Any views on underfloor electric heating? Thanks

Innys

If you do a search on here, you'll find many people say electric UFH is hideously expensive to run.

I've decided to go down the water UFH route for my new extension. While it's more expensive up front, the running costs are said to be lower. It's also more suitable for new floors whereas elec UFH is better for upgrading existing floors.

Incidentally, why are you having UFH at all in a garage? If you're intending to heat a garage, forget it - you'll lose all the heat through the door. Or are you referring to a new room above an existing garage?

sillygoose

Op says in the first line 'garage conversion'

Electric underfloor heating has its uses, its perfect in my tiled conservatory but if you have the option of a radiator on your central heating I strongly advise you go for it. It will be considerably cheaper in the long term. Radiators come in all shapes and sizes and styles, it doesn't have to be a big white slab any more.

Electric underfloor heating can be done on the cheap and just slapped down without enough insulation underneath, the type to go under laminate is lower powered anyway and laminate doesn't hold the heat like tiling. - or, it can be done properly. I would suggest you builder thinks its great because he can lay most the hassle on the sparky he will sub contract and not have to do any plumbing, just chuck it down and shove a couple of wires in a spur. I would leave well alone or there will be tears later on.

geoffibs

I put UFH under my tiled bathroom floor, insulating beneath that first and it is still more expensive than radiators. It is also quite difficult to calculate the capacity - its not the same as you would with a radiator. As sillygoose says, laminate flooring won't be the best conductor for it so you won't get the full benefit.

I wouldn't go for it in any other room having tried it but only because of cost - if it were water UFH like Innys then yes.

For anyone thinking of putting it in a bathroom, it is great because it warms the tiles you are walking on which a radiator wouldn't do.

Mickyp

I've got elecric under floor heating in my bathrooms (2m by 3m) and it works really well, the kit was £150 each room and it is 300w, so about 30p an hour to run,m but you only need it on for a few hours in the morning and a few in the evening.

My mother in law had it installed in her kitchen instead of radiators and she is regretting it, it costs a fortune to run and she needs it on all the time, and thats with the insulation boards under her tiles too!

sunshinetours

As others have said only really ideal for smallish rooms like bathrooms otherwise it will cost you a fortune to run.

Our garage conversion was insulated beyond the minimum required and a radiator added to main system and works fine