Perhaps the most important factor in choosing Electric Underfloor Heating is the cost to provide heat. We have below provided the cost of running in a three bedroom house. These calculations are based on the house being insulated to current Building Regulations but we always recommend that insulation under the Electric Underfloor Heating system be incorporated. This stops the heating elements warming the floor structure and ensuring the heating is directed into the room. The cost are based upon the average price of electricity at 14.37 pence/kWh. This value is from the Energy Saving Trust. Also, we have used in these calculations an electric underfloor heating rated at 150 Watts per square meter to provide the primary source of heating. Room/Area Heated Sq. Area Hrs. Heated. Cost/Day Lounge 16.0 7 £0.80 Kitchen/Dining 18.0 7 £1.04 Hallway 10.0 7 £0.58 W.C. 2.5 7 £0.14 Bedroom 1 12.0 3 £0.45 En-suite 3.0 4 £0.14 Bedroom 2 10.0 4 £0.38 Bedroom 3 9.0 4 £0.34 Bathroom/Landing 13.0 4 £0.52 This calculation results in a daily running cost of £4.39 per day and this is based on heating the rooms when in use. If, for example, these rooms were heated for twelve hours per day then the daily cost will rise. In the running cost example the calculation is based on a cyclic rate of 25%, this means the heating is ‘on’ for 25% of the time. This cyclic rate is achieved with the system controlled by a thermostat for each room. The thermostat located in each room will when the desired temperature is reached switch off the heating until needed again to maintain the temperature setting. Our calculations are based on rooms having the thermostat set to the following temperature settings; Living Spaces 21oC Bedrooms & Hallways 18oC Bathrooms 23oC In Bathrooms and W.C.’s we recommend that a heated towel rail is included to support Electric Underfloor heating to provide a warm environment. It should also be remembered that bathrooms and W.C.’s fitted with extract fans will need to run for longer periods as the warm air is extracted when in use.

Electric Underfloor heating systems are particularly efficient because they heat entirely by radiation. Most heating systems deliver the majority of their heat through convection – Electric radiators and Gas fired central heating systems included. Cold air circulating the room heats up as it passes through the radiator. This hot air rises from the radiator to the top of the room until it cools, falls, and passes through the radiator again. This cycle keeps the air in the room warm so that it can transfer its heat to the room’s occupants. This system is fairly effective but not very efficient: plenty of heat is lost as it transfers from radiator to air to room occupant, and warm air can easily escape through draughts and opened doors. Because hot air rises, the ceiling will always warm up before the lower areas of the room – not very useful! Radiation, meanwhile, cuts out this by heating people directly. Electric Underfloor heating systems warm up the floor, which radiates heat upwards, warming the room from the ground upwards. Not only is this more efficient – you’ll also notice the heat much faster because it heats living levels before heating the ceiling, unlike radiators. Electric Underfloor heating systems are also much more controllable than central heating systems, which allows you to save power and money by only heating the rooms which will be in use. Each room in an electric underfloor heating system has its own thermostat, unlike a central heating system that is limited by a single, central thermostat, so you can program your heating room by room.