Everyone raves on about underfloor heating– it’s amazing, it’s perfect- “no more cold kitchen floors” we hear you all cry. If you’ve been swayed towards the ‘warming from your feet upwards’ system then read on.

There are 2 types of underfloor heating – electric, which is known as a dry system and water, which is known as a, yes you guessed it, wet system.

The electric system lays neatly underneath stone, tiles, wooden or carpeted floors. A series of electric wires are installed beneath or within your flooring and is dependent on what size of room and the type of flooring you have. There is a choice between loose-fit wiring flexible enough to fit into small or awkward spaces, electric cable systems, or heating mats that are rolled out to cover larger areas.

Although underfloor heating is more commonly associated with stone or tiled floors, using it in a carpeted room is also proving popular. To provide adequate space for the heat to rise you must ensure that the carpet and underlay doesn’t exceed a tog of no more than 1.5.

The water, or wet system can also be used underneath every floor surface and can be seen as a replacement for radiators throughout the whole house. This underfloor heating system includes a series of pipes connected to your boiler which circulates warm water throughout the floor,heating the room.

As the heat emitted from a underfloor system is more evenly distributed than a single radiator, the system uses water at a lower temperature, making it a more efficient way of heating your home. According to Standard Assessment Procedure 2009 (SAP), an underfloor system typically improves condensing boiler efficiency by 3% compared to radiators.

As with electric heating when heating a carpeted room you must ensure that the carpet and underlay doesn’t exceed a tog of no more than 1.5.

As with any other major installation you need to use professionals to complete the job. Having a warm home is vital for family life and more and more properties are being built with underfloor heating, maybe it’s something we should all be looking at.