Electric Underfloor Heating for large area - advice needed please!

4 years ago

Can anyone offer any expert advice on this subject?

We're renovating an old house and have created an open, connected space downstairs of 120 sq m.

Our intention is to install 7-8 zones of EUFH mat under a micro-cement screed, which will be the only source of heat.

The house has new aluminium double glazing throughout and is super-insulated (exterior wrapped in 100mm Celotex).

It's a rural area so our main energy source is currently oil, but we'd like to 'future proof' the house as far as possible by switching to electric wherever we can.

Although we can't afford it at present, we'd like the option to switch to solar or wind power in the long term.

The problem is, our (lovely) electrician is unnerved by this plan and is encouraging us to reconsider and install a wet system powered by the existing oil-fired boiler. He's not a UFH specialist and has only ever laid small areas in bathrooms prior to this.

He's concerned that:

1) the existing electrical system will be unable to cope with the extra demand/load the UFH will place on it;

2) it'll be astronomically expensive to run; and

3) it'll be insufficient as a primary heat source.

We have anecdotal evidence to suggest the output will be fine, and we think we've done our sums in terms of affordability, but his anxiety (esp with reference to the overall load) has made us question whether we're doing the right thing.

I can't seem to find a decent source of technical information, and even the UFH product suppliers seem reluctant to give a definitive opinion on any of these issues.

Can anyone help, please?

Thanks!

Featured Answer

PRO

Tower Ceramics Ltd

4 years ago

Underfloor heating can be expensive but if it is the only source of heat and not running along side another source for the same area then it should be fine. UFH can seem daunting for some fitters but some of them are pretty easy to fit, If you are interested then you can contact me on the below email and I can send you some details along with a quote for the area needed so at least you have a price to go on.

stevesaunders@towerceramics.co.uk

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Comments (6)

PRO
OnePlan
4 years ago
Have you looked at air source heat pump as an option too ???
chartmoor thanked OnePlan
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HU-209277437
4 years ago
What flooring are you having on top?
chartmoor thanked HU-209277437
chartmoor
Original Author
4 years ago
Hi, thanks for the replies.

Yes, we've looked at air source and ground source, but there are multiple complications because of our location and the fact we're retrofitting an old house.

We're looking at potentially putting an MVHR system in the loft to ventilate/heat the bedrooms and bathrooms, but it's not possible to run ducting throughout the whole house, so downstairs has to be approached separately.

The finish on the ground floor will be a micro-cement skim.

Steve, I will contact you via your website, thank you.
PRO
Metos Design & Build
4 years ago
Electrical underfloor heating for such big area would be too risky. They tend to go wrong after while and the running cost would be not worth it. We install wet underfloor heating to almost all of our projects and to my opinion it is the best system in the market at the moment in terms of heat output and running cost. Ground preparation and insulation is very important in getting the best result.
chartmoor thanked Metos Design & Build
yvona9
4 years ago
If you lot of land around why not to consider ground source heat pump? It’s not the usual heat source in the UK but getting common on the continent

Electric Underfloor Heating for large area - advice needed please!

Tower Ceramics Ltd

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Electric Underfloor Heating for large area - advice needed please!

Tower Ceramics Ltd

Comments (6)

OnePlan

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