Undercarpet / underwood heating

[Arjay12345]

Hi

Has anyone had any experience of underwood and undercarpet heating for floorboards floors? I thought the only way to have underfloor heating for floorboard floors was by laying water pipes/cables under the floorboards. This sounds like lots of work and doesn't seem efficient given thickness of of floorboards and carpet/etc on top of that.

But I've seen underwood and undercarpet heating mats that go between the floorboards and top layer (underfloorheating-direct.com). They sound ideal but I have some questions:

1 - Are they powerful enough as the only heat source? I have a standard 1930's house sub-structure with joists and floorboards for the majority, but some hardfloors on the house extensions.

2 - What are the running costs compared to a standard boiler/radiator system? (I know with underfloor, unlike rads, I can control the different zones independentaly so can save money that way).

3 - Do the carpet and wooden floor version work equally well?

4 - Long term, what are the downsides to UFH, i.e. long term effect of carper underlays, sustained efficiency, etc

Thanks
Arjay..

 

[stem]

1 - Are they powerful enough as the only heat source? I have a standard 1930's house sub-structure with joists and floorboards for the majority, but some hardfloors on the house extensions.

Usually heating mats are for comfort heating only, the floor surface is warmed, so that is not cold to bare feet.

2 - What are the running costs compared to a standard boiler/radiator system?

Generally as a rule of thumb I find that it costs 3 to 4 times as much to heat an area with standard day rate electricty as with gas. You can work it out this ratio fairly easily for yourself. Use an online whole house heat calculator to find how much heat you require for your property and compare the cost of providing that heat using gas & electricity based on the kW prices from your bill (gas is often shown in kW, bt if not can be calculated). You will also be able to see if the electric UFH will provide sufficient heat for your property, by working out the total square metres of UFL you will be using, and multiplying the heat it produces per metre to give you a total. See how that compares with your calculated total heating requirement.

The UFH needs good insulation underneath too, so that the heat isn't lost to outdoors. I've not seen any installed with suspended wooden floors, so maybe someone else can advise on this.

I know with underfloor, unlike rads, I can control the different zones independentaly so can save money that way

Have you not heard of Thermostatic Radiator Valves? There are now versions available with timeswitch built in too.

 

[muggles]

You can get chipboard flooring with UFH built in, it would mean ripping out every wooden floor and completely redoing it but it would be the best solution if you really want UFH