WHAT IS UFH??

Underfloor heating is not a new concept, but it is one that is rapidly gaining in popularity throughout the UK. It was invented by the Romans who built floors on raised brickwork and circulated hot air or steam to warm the floor. Luckily underfloor heating technology has moved on since then!

In a modern electrical underfloor heating system cables are laid into the floor, ideally into a solid screed floor, but it is also possible to fit a system onto exisiting concrete or wooden beam structures. The cable heats as electricity is passed through it, passing the heat through the floor into the room.

With a conventional radiator system some 80% of the heating effect is by convection. The radiators heat the air which heats the people in the room. Underfloor heating provides 60% of its effect by radiant heat, directly heating the people in the room. This generally enables the air temperature in the room to be lower than a conventional system while still maintaining comfort of the people in the room.

One of the main benifits of electric underfloor heating is the floor build up/height. Floor build up can be from as little as 5mm. The electric cables are usually installed onto an insulation board such as Marmox, then either tiled directly over using a flexible tile adhesive or covered using a latex leveling compound if another floor covering is being laid. Compared to other heat sources, it is very quick to fit and has virually zero maintenance.

Electric underfloor heating also benifits from faster warm up times as the cables are installed directly below the finished flooring saving in energy costs.