Floor heating, also called radiant floor heating, is a luxurious home feature and a popular trend in new housing, as well as in renovations that focus on clean, comfortable, design-led living. Although there’s no denying underfloor heating is the coziest way to warm your toes, is it worth the extra cost and hassle? Or should you just stick to traditional radiators to warm your house? This blog post discusses the advantages and disadvantages of radiant floor heating. We will start with the pros and move after that to the cons.
Pros and Cons at a glance:
(+) Energy Efficient Heating (+) Effortless to Run (+) More Space & Design Freedom (+) Works with all floor coverings (+) Safety and Comfort (+) Ease of Installation
(-) Installation Cost (-) Installation Time (-) Floor Height Issue
With radiant floor heating, you’re able to enjoy your whole room without radiators on the walls. Even the most modern radiators take up room on a wall, so imagine the design freedom you have with heated floors – you can decorate the walls as you wish, to really make a statement or simply achieve the minimalist look, whatever your style, and free from having to plan around radiators.
There are two types of radiant floor heating, electric and water-based systems. Both provide heating in a room from the floor up for consistent, efficient warmth. Warm water systems run hot water through pipes to create heat, whereas electric underfloor heating heats wiring beneath the floor to generate heat.Furthermore, radiators heat the air nearest them first, which is why rooms heated by radiators are prone to “cold spots”, meaning that the air feels cold in the middle of the room and very hot next to the radiators.This usually results in opening a window above the radiator to bring some fresh air in, and there we go again, letting all that energy paid to warm up the house escape out of the window. Radiant heat provides warmth from the floor up throughout the room without any cold spots or stuffiness in the area being heated.
Once installed, underfloor heating needs virtually no maintenance and comes with a 30 Year Guarantee for total peace of mind.The Warmup heating controllers will ensure that your heating runs in the most efficient manner either automatically with a Smart WiFi Thermostat, or, if you wish, with a programmable thermostat that can be programmed to ensure the heating comes on at certain times, giving you the option to switch it off at night time.When you have underfloor heating, you no longer need to worry about sharp edges or hot surfaces of radiators when younger family members are in the house. The heating system is safely tucked out of the way and won’t get too hot to the touch.