Opinions wanted on underfloor heating.

patray

I am having building done and am being advised to have wet underfloor heating fitted in a large open plan room. I am really concerned about how warm will we be as we feel the cold. Our room thermostat is usually on 22degrees, sometimes 23 degrees with our combi boiler run radiators. Will wet underfloor heating be able to heat to this temperature as I don't want to have to supplement the heating.

I am also concerned about the running cost as it is recommended that you keep the thermostat set at 2 degrees lower at night than the daytime temperature. This seems very wasteful, and expensive, to me.

We are retired and do not have the central heating on a timer now. We tend to turn it on when we wake up and the house warms up very quickly in time for us to get up. I am concerned that this won't happen with UFH.
Can anyone give me their opinion and other negatives for me to consider.

daveyjp

My parents are also retired and have had wet UFH in their bungalow following significant works 7 years ago..

It runs in every room, (each with separate controls) and they say it was the best decision they took when the plumber mentioned it as an option.  Walking on warm floors is a benefit.

You do need to use it differently as the concrete base and screed the pipes are laid in are a heat store (similar to a storage heater) so the idea is you get it to temperature and then keep it warm by keeping the boiler on tickover.  Their heating bills however are not excessive.

The only downside is the original thermostats fitted were poor and nearly all of them have failed and been replaced.  I noticed one had failed as on a very warm day the central heating was on and by a process of elimination we found the faulty unit.

If you want carpet you will you need to choose one suited to the system.

ComicGeek

The important thing is whether your house is suitable for underfloor heating, as you can only get a limited amount of heat out of it - good for modern houses, but doesn't work in poorly insulated or leaky houses.

robatwork

I guess it depends on the type - I can only give you my experience as my house has wet UFH downstairs. 

It takes ages to warm up, and ages to cool down afterwards, so you can't use it like normal CH. You need to put it on a couple of hours or more before you wake up, and once it's up to temp it needs to go off before you roast. It acts like an enormous storage heater in this respect. It won't be a problem keeping you very warm, and it's great not having rads everywhere. I control it with Nest thermostats which works well, and can be turned off/on from anywhere so very handy if we're away.