Underfloor heating is a great home heating choice to efficiently manage energy usage and enjoy a better standard of overall comfort. Let’s delve particularly into floor heating costs and efficiency facts:
DID YOU KNOW?
1kW of electric floor heating will be more efficient and cheaper to run than a 1 kW conventional heater, due to the even spread of radiant heat over the floor surface.
Four Energy Saving Facts You Should Know About Underfloor Heating
1. LOWER AIR TEMPERATURES ARE REQUIRED TO REACH THE SAME COMFORT LEVELS
The heat from floor heating is mainly radiant heat, which does not heat the air, but warms all solid objects and occupants in the room by means of infrared radiation from the floor. This type of heating is like the warmth from the sun. Compare this to being out on a sunny day, we are comfortably warm in a tee-shirt even if the air is only 16 degrees Celsius.
With the warmth emanating evenly from a radiant floor, the same comfort level can be experienced with the thermostat set lower than a convection heating system (reverse cycle air conditioners, oil-filled fin heaters, etc.), saving on electrical bills. Read more on Running Costs under FAQs.
2. BLOWING HOT AIR COOLS US – THE OPPOSITE EFFECT!
With convection (forced air heating), the heaters warm the air in the room and not the people. This creates an air circulation whereby the warm air rises and the cold air goes down to the floor. This air circulation causes drying of the skin as well as evaporative cooling.
The cold air draught along the floor causes cold feet. As a result, you increase the setting on the heater, which dries out the air even more and increases energy consumption. Read more on Home Heating Comparisons under FAQs.
3. INDIVIDUAL ROOM CONTROL REDUCES ENERGY USAGE
Most central heating systems have a single thermostat, meaning they are single-zone systems. The result is heating rooms that aren’t being used, or rooms facing direct sunlight becoming overheated while other rooms are inadequately heated. Individual room control means every room can be independently controlled. This means improved heating efficiency, reduced energy wastage, and optimum individual comfort levels. Read more on Thermostats.
4. CORRECT INSTALLATION OF INSULATION
Our range of floor insulation products has been tested and is fully compatible with Speedheat heating systems. You can save up to 50% on running costs by installing proper flooring insulation with Speedheat electric floor heating systems.
Floor insulation promoting heat flow upwards results in an increase in warming-up time of your floor of up to 3 times! Warming up your home even faster and more economical! Read more on Floor Insulation.