Underfloor heating is often seen as a luxury. However this type of heating is becoming increasingly popular as new technology makes it more affordable.
With large tiled areas and ceramic surfaces, bathrooms are generally a cold room. If you’re thinking about renovating your bathroom, now is the time to consider your heating options. Planning now widens your underfloor heating options, electrical elements will require wiring during the build phase, and certain types of switches will need to be selected early before tiling.
Bathroom supplier Reece estimates underfloor heating costs about 22c per day if used for about an hour.
It listed some of the benefits as helping to prevent mould by drying out shower base and floors, the system operates independently of existing heating, and it is an allergy and asthma friendly.
Renovation company Home by belle said one reason underfloor heating is becoming more popular is because it is a smart way to warm the bathroom.
Unlike overhead heat lamps that provide a blast of heat from the ceiling, the warmth from underfloor heating rises and is distributed at a constant temperature more evenly and efficiently. This is especially good for bathrooms with high ceilings.
The underfloor heating components are usually installed on top of a concrete or timber substrate, underneath your desired floor finish. There are generally two types of electric underfloor heating.
- In-slab heating is where the wires are laid within the concrete slab itself and the flooring then laid over the top.The heat from the wires radiates through the concrete slab to the floor surface.
- In-screed heating has a layer of sand or gravel laid over the concrete slab (a screed) and the heating wires placed within the screed with mesh and fixing clips. The floor surface is then installed over the top.
HOME by belle install in-screed heating because it protects the heating mat coils better during the installation, and it has a faster warm up and cool down time compared to in-slab heating, which allows you to manage your temperature and energy usage more efficiently by lowering the temperature levels or turning the system off completely if you are going away.