ELECTRIC
UNDERFLOOR HEATING

Hydronic underfloor heating is hot water circulating around pipes in the floor. Electric underfloor heating is an electric cable that heats up in the floor.

The cost to run underfloor heating depends on may factors.

• Size of the heated area
• Temperature the underfloor heating is set to
• Time of day you run the underfloor heating
• Price you pay for electricity
• Environment and insulation level

Small electric bathrooms that turn on for a few hours in the morning and night are not expensive to heat while large areas that require on demand heating become pricier to operate. Once underfloor heating is required in large areas, 80m2+, hydronic underfloor becomes a good alternative.

Take a look at the Comfort Heat Costings Page to estimate the running costs of a heated area.

That depends on the environment and the underfloor heating product you have installed. Typically, if you have thermal mass, for example slab heating, it is best to warm the slab when it is cheapest. If you have no thermal mass, the most efficient choice would be to program the underfloor heating to turn on and off when required via an in floor sensing, programmable thermostat.

Thermal mass is the ability of a material to absorb, store and release heat over time. Materials like concrete, bricks and tiles absorb and store heat well. They are said to have high thermal mass. Materials like timber and carpet do not absorb and store heat and are said to have low thermal mass.

Underfloor heating systems take anywhere from 30min - 48hrs.

Different underfloor heating products have different response times. Carpet foil mats will warm as quickly as 30 min, under tile heating typically takes around 60 mins where slab heating can take up to 48 hours to warm up.

Waterproofing can be applied either before the screed cable is installed or on top of the sand and cement screed. The Comfort Heat in screed underfloor heating system is installed on a lightweight mesh that floats on top of the waterproofing, ensuring the membrane is not compromised.