Should you invest in underfloor heating?

Popular in homes up and down the country, underfloor heating offers lots of advantages – but is it the right choice for your home?

Compared to traditional heating systems, it’s efficient, luxurious and aesthetically pleasing. But whether it’s right for you is down to your own priorities and preferences.

So, to help you decide if it’s a worthwhile investment, here’s a run down of what you’re getting with underfloor heating.

Positives of underfloor heating

Efficient heating

Underfloor heating works by circulating warm water through pipes hidden beneath your flooring, evenly distributing heat through the room. Because the whole floor emits heat it can operate at a lower temperature, making it one of the most energy-efficient ways to heat your home.

Higher energy-efficiency means you can heat your home while paying less in energy bills, saving you money in the long run, as well as being better for the environment. On top of this, underfloor heating systems are also designed to be compatible with renewable energy sources, like solar panels.

Aesthetically pleasing

We need our homes to be warm and cosy in the winter months, but radiators can take up a lot of space while disrupting the carefully cultivated room aesthetic. Underfloor heating means you don’t need to find space for any clunky heating appliances.

You have the flexibility to design the room exactly as you want it. Achieve a minimalist look, or use every inch of wall space – there’s no radiators to hold you back.

Increased property value

Installing underfloor heating can increase your property’s value. Improving your energy efficiency, delivering consistent, comfortable heat and having an aesthetic appeal means that underfloor heating is a desirable feature for future buyers.

Even when selling your house, you’ll continue to profit off of this heating investment.

Negatives of underfloor heating

Installation costs

While underfloor heating will deliver long-term savings on energy bills, the installation cost is high. The size of your home and the type of system you choose will affect the price, but it’s likely to be an expensive investment.

It’s also important to consider that when carrying out home upgrades like this, extra costs can appear along the way. Additional work like improving your home’s insulation or existing flooring may come up. So you want to have a healthy budget before beginning work.

Slow heating time

Compared to traditional heating systems, underfloor heating can take longer to heat up. This isn’t ideal if you need a quick blast of heat, but once the system has had time to get going, it will provide steady, even warmth.

To help with this, use a programmable thermostat to schedule your heating prior to actually needing it. This gives the system time to kick in, and makes sure you have heat when you need it (without the wait time).

Maintenance and repairs

As with any heating system, underfloor heating will occasionally require repairs. The issue is that getting to the system is more complex than traditional heating maintenance.

You will need to hire specialist heating and plumbing engineers to carry out any work. And if the issue is deep in the system, taking the floor up may be necessary.