Underfloor Heating – Is it Worth Installing?

The average cost of adding underfloor heating to a room is around £800. This might seem expensive, but with the many benefits of underfloor heating come advantages.

Benefits of underfloor heating include:

• Improved level of energy efficiency
• Low maintenance costs
• Better space as no need for radiators
• Adds a touch of luxury to your home
• More consistent heat around your home
• Adds value to potential buyers

Underfloor heating is also becoming increasingly popular with more significant home renovations and self-builds. This is because it is a much more efficient way to heat your home. Let's take a closer look at the different types of underfloor heating that is available.

What is Underfloor Heating?

Well, simply put, underfloor heating is a way of removing radiators from a room and putting the heating system into or under the flooring you have in your home.

There are two types of underfloor heating. Either water or electric underfloor heating systems.

Benefits of Electrical Underfloor Heating

Electrical underfloor heating system must be installed by a qualified electrician and can be quicker to install. However, electrical underfloor heating can be more expensive to run. Because of this, you might want to consider adding in solar at the same time. Adding solar can help further reduce the overall cost of running an electrical underfloor heating system.

Another benefit of electrical underfloor heating is that it requires less yearly maintenance. Also, adding an underfloor heating system to your home will only add around 10-15 mm to your floor height (less than the water option).

Water Based Underfloor Heating

Water-based or wet underfloor heating is cheaper to run than its electrical alternative. However, the cost of installing underfloor water heating is more involved and will therefore be more expensive to install in your home.

If you are doing a complete renovation on a home, you might find the underfloor water heating is probably more cost-efficient.

Types of floor coverings with underfloor heating

You can use underfloor heating on any flooring you choose to have in your home. Either tiled flooring, laminate or carpet.

Adding under-floor heating means you will never step out of bed or the shower onto cold tiles again. Instead, you will have a nice comfortable, warm surface as you walk around your home.

Why Upgrade to Underfloor Heating?

Underfloor heating is more cost-effective than running a traditional style heating system and can also provide your home with a more consistent heat throughout your home during the colder months.

In some cases, you can remove radiators from your home, which will help you more effectively design the layout of your home and where you can position furniture in your home. Be careful on this, though, as sometimes you will need to keep radiators as a backup, as some underfloor heating is not as effective at heating homes in very cold weather.

Can I Install Underfloor Heating Myself?

Underfloor heating is not something that is a DIY project. The installation will require qualified electricians or plumbers to install these for you. It's important to note that all electrical work in your home needs to be signed off and certified. Please don't attempt to do this or any electrical work yourself.

How much does underfloor heating cost?

We have a post over on our cost guide pages on the typical costs of underfloor heating, but you can expect to pay around £800 for a standard room in your home. It will take around 1.5 days and be around £450 in materials and £350 in labour.

As with all of our cost guides, it will depend on the size and location of your home. To get an accurate cost, contact a local tradesperson on our site and see how you can upgrade your homes energy efficiency today.

In our cost guide to underfloor heating, we also discuss what is involved in adding underfloor heating.