Underfloor heating for tiles and stone is GREAT…here is a short guide which explains why
In the UK we are used to and understand convected heat – the type of warmth that you can FEEL, like a central heating radiator, gas fire, log burner, electric fire – all these things produce convected heat.
A large area that gets warm produces radiant heat, something a nation that has a cold winter climate doesn’t really understand very well – as we expect our heating to be HOT!
So warming up a large floor using underfloor heating to create a pleasant environment that’s comfortable, is naturally harder for us to see the benefits of.
Warming a large area to low temperature with underfloor heating actually produces the most comfortable and efficient form of heating possible because it reduces the heat loss from our bodies, without overheating the air surrounding our bodies.
Feeling warm and comfortable is about how body heat is LOST, just press your warm hand flat against a window and as the heat from your skin transfers into the glass, which absorbs that heat….it makes the window ‘feel’ cold
Because of our climate, hard surface such as ceramic tiles or stone (or wood or vinyl) can feel chilly under your bare feet from October to April, especially if the ambient temperature of a room is low if for example, the room has poor insulation, or a concrete subfloor, or large glass windows.
Benefits that help to understand electric underfloor heating which produces radiant heat are
- Your floor feels nice and warm underfoot – great in a bathroom where you are barefoot anyway
- Used in a wetroom it speeds up the drying of the tiles/wet area
- You lose ugly metal radiators and in a time of minimalist interior styles that’s a good thing
- Convected heat moves, and so creates house dust as it rises rapidly up the walls above radiators or fires , across the ceilings and down the other walls. Radiant heat doesn’t move so no dust.
- There are electric UFH products for soft flooring like carpets and engineered wood as well as tiles and stone
- Floor build-up is only a few millimetres so UFH can be used in any room in the house
- Excellent technology to control the switching of the heating is available, like touch screen thermostats which are programmable for optimum efficiency, and can even control by your mobile phone.
When we started to market UFH 19 years ago there were appx 4 suppliers, now there are literally 4000 and inevitably quality and performance differentials have appeared.
The suppliers of the better quality UFH systems give lifetime warranties, including the replacement of the floor covering.
For more help in specifying what’s right for you call Peter on 0113 2310 218 (who will immediately don his underfloor heating anorak) and work it all out!