4/25/2017

The Financial Benefits of Underfloor Heating

No one wants to spend more on heating their home than they have to. But rising utility prices conspire against us, leaving some homeowners wondering how they will afford to heat their homes this winter.

You’ve tried turning down the thermostat, encouraging family members to wear more layers of clothing and you limit the number of hours in a day that the boiler pumps out heat in the home.

But nothing seems to make much of a difference. You still have a heating bill that is astronomical.

What is the solution?

The time has come to invest in a ‘new’ heating system and underfloor heating should be top of the list. And here’s why;

·        Lower Running Temperature = Lower Bills

The Romans and Ancient Greeks enjoyed warm floors but their underfloor heating was slightly different. In some buildings, it involved fires under the floor and in others, fire heated water which was then circulated through sub-floor channels.
It fell out of fashion with the demise of the Roman bath houses. In the UK, we have relied on open fires and central heating to heat our homes.

With an efficient boiler, central heating can be fairly efficient. But powered by gas or oil, running costs will only increase in coming years.


Turning down the thermostat is not enough. You need a heating system that is efficient in every means possible – and that’s where underfloor heating comes in.

Specifically, wet or water underfloor heating kits are particularly efficient and cost-effective to run. Wet underfloor heating works at a lower temperature and we know what you are thinking – this means a colder home.

Not so. Underfloor heating is radiated heat – that is, it warms the floor and objects in the room – as opposed to convection heat given off by radiators which heats the air, causing it to rise and then fall, as it cools.

As the system runs at a lower heat, the boiler doesn’t have to work as hard and thus, underfloor heating keeps you toasty warm without a huge bill.

·        Insulation

You can fit the majority of the heating systems yourself too, only bringing in a qualified plumber to connect manifold, boiler and the system, and a qualified electrician to fit the thermostat.

This saves you money too and with wet underfloor heating kits also coming down in price, and becoming ever more sophisticated, it’s hard to see any arguments against this efficient method of heating your home.

However, the heat given off by the system is far gentler than the robust heat given off by radiators. And this means one thing: upping the levels of insulation in your home.

In most cases, this is relatively simple. Most modern properties in the UK have double glazed windows and doors, but fair to say, these are stapled additions to any home looking to underfloor heating as its main heating source.

Making sure the loft is well insulated is also essential but the biggest difference with wet underfloor heating is the sub-floor insulation.

This stops heat being lost to the ground. Combine this with flooring materials that have a high conductivity rate – like tiles, stone or some laminates – and you have a well-insulated floor that is great for radiating heat and holding on to it.

The more heat your home holds on to, the less energy the boiler will use.

·        Thermostat

This is another lecture on turning your thermostat down a notch or two but rather encouraging people to have the most sophisticated thermostat they can afford.

A smart thermostat is controlled via a compatible app on your phone which means that you can change the heat in your home when you need to. Up it when the outside temperature drops but drop it a notch or two when you are not it, going to be late from work and so on.

To Save Money on Heating Bills You Need to Invest

Spending a large chunk of your salary each month on keeping warm is no one’s idea of a great way to spend their cash.

But herein lays the problem – to stay warm for cheaper means investing in not only a ‘new’ heating system but in your property as a whole. From double glazing to improving loft insulation, it takes a large chunk of investment cash that you may not have.

There are various Government schemes that help certain groups of people and your energy supplier will also have various schemes that can be useful for grants or help towards insulating your home better.

But there is no doubt that the luxury of a warm floor and a warm home is possible, without huge heating bills, with wet underfloor heating.


Underfloor Heating Trade Supplies is a leading supplier to both trade and domestic customers of high-quality underfloor heating kits, complete with WRAS approved plastic piping. 

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