If you are going to build a new home in Wokingham, you need to consider the benefits of underfloor heating compared with a radiator system.
There are several advantages of underfloor heating, not the least of which is that you don’t have to have radiators all over the place. Underfloor heating is out of sight, so it frees up space in every room.
There are two types of underfloor heating, one of which is electric and the other a water-based system. Electric heating consists of a heating wire or a heating mat which has the heating wires contained within it. It is cheaper to install than a water-based system, and also very quick to install. If you use a heating mat, it just needs to be rolled out on to the floor and connected to the electricity supply.
A water-based system uses heating pipes through which is pumped warm water that has been heated by a heat source. This could be your boiler, a ground-based heat pump, an air source heat pump, or solar panels. Although it is more costly to install, it is a lot cheaper to run. Electricity is expensive and heating a large room with it can cost a lot. So, although it costs more to install initially, once you have it, the savings go on for the life of your home.
Another point is that, once installed, underfloor heating needs virtually zero maintenance. The only thing that you need to note when installing water-based heating is that it is certified to BS EN 1264 standard, which most systems are anyway.
If you have a radiator system the floor will remain cold, and even dampness can occur at ground level. This can lead to the situation where you have dust mites which can then be spread around the room by the convection that radiators create. Underfloor heating makes the floor too warm and dry for them to live in. In fact, studies have shown that underfloor heating reduces the amount of dust mites by as much as 80%. This means that anyone who has asthma or allergies will be much safer with it.
Radiators Don’t Heat The Room Evenly
When talking about convection, radiators will mean that the room will not be heated evenly and will have cold spots. An underfloor heating system should heat the room absolutely evenly, as long as the right screed is used, and so there will be no cold spots.
You can also heat the rooms which you want to heat and leave other rooms unheated or heated to a lower temperature, because each room has its’ own dedicated thermostat.
Whichever type of underfloor heating you install, you will need to cover it with a screed upon which the final floor surface will be fixed. The advantages of a liquid floor screed in Wokingham are many, not the least of which is that it does not need to be as thick as traditional sand and cement, so it takes less energy to heat the room to the desired temperature.
