Fitting underfloor heating is becoming increasingly popular among people performing home renovations, and it isn't too hard to see why. Underfloor heating can lower your energy bills and make your floors far comfier to walk on — it can even minimize the need for radiators, opening up the walls of your property.
But before you move forward with underfloor heating, you'll need to decide whether to use an electric system or a water-based one. The former uses wires, while the latter uses pipes of hot water, and there's really no one superior choice. To pick the right underfloor heating option, you simply need to consider the relative strengths of each one and think about which best speaks to your needs.
The Benefits of Electric Underfloor Heating
Electric underfloor heating is generally going to be less expensive than water-based underfloor heating, especially if you're only using it across one or two smaller rooms. The wires used by such systems are easy to lay down, so labour costs will be reduced, and the necessary components aren't as expensive as those associated with water-based systems.
Electric systems can also be installed more easily since wires are much thinner than pipes. In fact, it's often necessary to raise the flooring slightly to accommodate a water-based system, so electric might be a good idea if you're only conducting a minor renovation.
You'll also remove the risk of water damage. If one of the pipes in your water-based underfloor heating system ever bursts, or even just develops a small leak, quite a lot of water is going to escape before a plumber can get to the system and put things right.
The Benefits of Water-Based Underfloor Heating
The components used for water-based underfloor heating are more expensive, but they can also be shared among several rooms, so you might actually end up saving money if you want to adopt underfloor heating across lots of different rooms. You'll also reduce your energy bills since water-based underfloor heating systems produce more heat using less energy compared to electric systems.
Water-based systems are also easy to incorporate with your current hot water system, and they're a better choice if you're renovating extensively. In such cases, raising the floors a little won't be much of a problem, and you'll be able to take full advantage of the benefits that come with water-based underfloor heating by using it across as much of the property as you can.
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