UFH throughout or UFH with radiators

2 years ago

I have just bought a 3 bedroom end of terrace victorian house which needs renovation. I am adding a loft extension and 3m rear extension.

Rough dimensions in ft (post extension are):

ground floor: lounge (14x10), kitchen/diner (14.5x23)

first floor: bedroom 1 (14x10), bedroom 2 (14x8.5), bathroom (10.5x6), small room to be walk in closet (8 x 4.5)

loft: bedroom plus small ensuite (14x12)

i definitely want UFH throughout the downstairs and in the main bathroom, and very much leaning towards a wet system. Is it easier to then just apply this system throughout the house or would you suggest radiators in the bedrooms. aesthetically i like the idea of having no radiators but i worried the installation cost will be massive. Which option would be cheaper to run in the long term.

also what type of central heating system would i require?

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance!

Shan

Featured Answer

Claire Coulson

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

We did this recently - a full reno on a huge 5 bed victorian vicarage - went for wet UFH throughout the downstairs (3 large receptions and a big eat-in kitchen, had to do a new concrete subfloor and damp proof course so really was the works!) and same wet UFH in the two upstairs bathrooms, with nice column rads upstairs in the bedrooms.

Each room has it's own thermostat for the UFH and works a treat (once you get used to the timing issue - it's slower to heat up especially as our rooms are pretty large and have high victorian ceilings, so you do have to allow for that with the timer settings) and I like the look of the rads in the bedrooms - adds period character I think. We also went for a biomass boiler though as no gas here and we didn't want oil. Cost a FORTUNE to install but was worth it as now very affordable to run the heating for a house this size due to the RHI scheme and UFH being so efficient.

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Comments (11)

PRO
PWJ Architects Ltd
2 years ago
Good morning Shan,

We suggest contacting a local contractor/trade to assess the floor build up and suitability for UFH. Alternatively you should contact a UFH specialist.
Shan M
Original Author
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Thanks, but my only issue is that i feel their opinion may be slightly biased towards having UFH throughout the whole house!
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Rinq - Perfect, I think you're right, having the warm floor over a large area will still be really nice. Good idea about checking the calculator for the heating requirements. We're being given some hydraulic plinth heaters, including one on the island, facing towards the living room which will heat both rooms up as well. and we can obviously turn them off if not needed/excessively noisy (although I've purposely chosen mostly the quietest ones) Unfortunately I don't think we've got the funds for the initial outlay of solar panels. Maybe in a few years, But yes, I think we'll have enough heat output for the space but just wondered if it was too "weird" to have only part of a room with UFH. Forzaitalia - I'm sorry to hear your step-daughter's electric UFH stopped working! that must have been so frustrating after the cost of buying it and installation! Did she manage to claim her money back under warranty?
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how about an UFH solution, you could just have it in this room with a manifold tucked away somewhere. it wont be a cheap solution, but may give you the desired look. a kickspace heater can work as well or you could have a high level heater above a door where you wont have any wardrobe hanging/shelving. you should get a natural circulation, of the space isnt big you will provide enough heat with this solution. best Rowland
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E D
2 years ago
Why not also get in touch with a CV specialist? You can then hopefully make some comparisons.
PRO
PWJ Architects Ltd
2 years ago
Nu Heat are UFH specialists and will be able to advise. You should be able to build some cost comparisons between different options.

You may find the following blog useful.

https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-guides/pros--cons-of-underfloor-heating.html
Shan M
Original Author
2 years ago
thanks, im just trying to get an impartial view as all UFH specialists tell me to get UFH throughout the house! In the end i guess i will have to weigh up the approx instillation costs vs aesthetic benefits. Do you need a hot water tank for wet systems, or can you use a combi boiler?
PRO
PWJ Architects Ltd
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Hi Shan,

Weighing up the costs of installation and long-term energy savings are worth looking at.

The type of boiler you'd need would depend on the output for UFH. You can use a combination boiler, however they are limited to the amount of hot water they can supply. It is usually better to use a separate cylinder. Again of course, you can look at the options and discuss with a specialist!
Shan M
Original Author
2 years ago
thanks Claire! Can you have the UFH in each room plus radiators run independently (or do you have to have everything on at the same time)?
Suzanne C
2 years ago
We built a large extension on the back of house (150m2) and although we had planned to do UFH throughout the whole of downstairs (both original and extension) However, with the cost involved and the upheaval of taking up the concrete in the main house we opted to UH in the new extension and keep the radiators in the older part of the house. We felt that was the cheapest and by far the easiest!
Shan M thanked Suzanne C
Claire Coulson
2 years ago
Shan on our system you can run the UFH independently from the rads as they are two completely separate heating circuits, and we also have the towel rails in the bathrooms on their own separate circuit too, so you can have them on in the summer without having to put the rest of the heating on at all.

In addition, you can run each part of our UFH circuit independently from the rest of the underfloor heating. So, if you only use the sitting room in the evening you can just have the underfloor on in the kitchen or hallway or dining room or wherever you are and want to heat, during the day (for example) and the sitting room only comes on in the evening because each room has an individual thermostat for that part of the circuit. It is very clever but was pretty expensive to install and we only did that as we completely gutted and renovated the entire house (as Suzanne says above taking up floorboards and joists and relaying the entire subfloor and pouring concrete is no joke of a job!) so depends on your reno plans and budget.
Shan M thanked Claire Coulson
PRO
Feature Radiators
2 years ago
It's one of these things where there is no obvious answer I expect. Pros and cons with any option. I feel I can't comment as I might be a bit biased, lol.

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UFH throughout or UFH with radiators

Comments (11)

Shan MOriginal Author

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