If you are going to build a new home in Newbury, you may well be advised to consider installing underfloor heating instead of a radiator system.
Underfloor heating has many advantages over a radiator system, and despite what many believe, it can work out at no more expensive to install. However, it can work out as a lot less expensive to run than a radiator system, depending upon what type of underfloor heating you choose.
Underfloor heating can be either electric or water-based. An electric underfloor heating system will consist of electric cables or alternatively a heating mat into which electric cables are woven. Electric underfloor heating is very quick to install, and in the case of a heating mat it simply involves rolling the mat out on to the floor and connecting it to the electricity supply.
A water-based underfloor heating system uses pipes which are connected to your boiler which heats water which is then pumped through the pipes. This is a similar form of heating to a radiator which works in the same way by using heated water. The water could also be heated by a ground source or air source heat pump, or by solar panels. It does cost more to install a water-based underfloor heating system, but it has the advantage of being a lot cheaper to run than an electric system. Electricity is expensive, and the tariffs are not going to come down any time soon. In fact, they are going the other way.
As underfloor heating installers in Newbury, at UK Screeds we install water-based systems which will save you money on your heating bills for as long as you own the home.
One of the big advantages of underfloor heating systems is that they do not need to be heated to anywhere near the temperature of a radiator system in order to achieve the same level of heat in the room. Radiators need to run at around 70 -75 degrees whereas underfloor heating maximum is 29 degrees, and perhaps a couple of degrees lower depending upon the type of floor.
One of the big advantages of underfloor heating is that it heats the whole of the room evenly, or at least it should do, depending upon how well the screed that is used covers the heating pipes. This is why we use liquid screed which fully envelops the pipes. A traditional sand and cement screed laid by hand will always have some gaps or air pockets, and this has a direct effect on heat transfer into the room.
Another big advantage of water-based underfloor heating is that it does heat the room evenly whereas a radiator heats the air nearest to it. Hot air rises, and the heat is distributed around the room by convection, so the place nearest the radiator will be warmer than other areas which are cooler. Convection also moves dust around the room, and this can be bad for people with allergies or asthma.
An underfloor heating system heats the room by radiation, and so no dust is moved around. Since a water-based system needs to be heated to a far lower temperature than a radiator, it follows that there will be a saving on heating bills. Furthermore, when you use a liquid screed to cover the heating pipes, it has almost double the thermal convection properties of sand and cement, so it will heat the floor up faster, also saving more money.
On top of that, if you have a tile or stone floor surface, this will store the heat and gradually release it into the room, again saving money when compared with something such as carpet.
Another advantage of our underfloor heating systems is that you will save space in the room. It is surprising how much bigger the room feels when you don’t have radiators taking up space on the walls. This also means that you can push sofas and furniture right up against the walls.
Underfloor heating can work with all types of floor coverings, although tile and stone are the most effective for energy saving, but you can use carpet, wood, laminate, vinyl, or anything else you choose so long as the overall tog is no more than 2.5.
