AQUAE Heating and Plumbing

• WHAT IS UNDERFLOOR HEATING?

Quite simply underfloor heating is a system that uses pipes below the floor to circulate warm water producing a heat source capable of heating the air above it to any required temperature.

Underfloor Heating (UFH) is a form of radiant heating meaning that the heat emitted from the floor warms people and other objects in rooms rather than directly heating the air as is the case with radiators (convection heating).

One of the key advantages of radiant heating systems is a much decreased circulation of air inside the room and the corresponding spreading of airborne particles.

It is now widely agreed by architects, developers and homeowners alike that underfloor heating is the system of choice for both domestic and commercial properties and developments.

Advantages Complete control

UFH offers the homeowner the ability to set the temperature in individual rooms or zones independently using programmable room thermostats allowing complete control and comfort.

For example, in a typical domestic setting some rooms such as the kitchen and living room are used more frequently than other rooms. Why heat rooms that aren't being used? By installing independent controls in each of the rooms the homeowner can choose which areas they want to heat, when they want to heat them and for how long. This reduces the amount of energy used by eliminating unnecessary heating where it is not required.

Energy Saving

Underfloor heating is becoming increasingly popular as an energy efficient heating option as it uses low temperature water, typically around 35-50oC, compared to a typical radiator system which uses high temperature water, around 70-80oC or more.

Due to the large surface area that is heated it can still achieve the same output levels or temperatures as a radiator system but it does so by using less energy making it a more cost effective option also.

Free up your walls!

How often are you forced to place furniture in a certain position because you cannot place it directly in front of a radiator? Underfloor heating allows the homeowner complete freedom when planning or designing the interior layout of a room due to the removal of radiators.

Improved Air Quality & Well Being

As UFH is a form of radiant heating rather than convection heating it means that harmful bacteria and pollen cannot circulate as freely resulting in an improved air quality within your home. This is a major benefit to asthma sufferers or those with allergies.

Applications

Underfloor heating is very flexible and simple to install. It can be easily added to an existing building, perhaps as part of a conservatory or kitchen extension, or it can be installed as the main heating system for a new build project either domestic or commercial.

It can be used alongside traditional radiators or as the sole heating system for a property using either a traditional boiler or any of the emerging renewable heat sources such as ground source and air source heat pumps.

A number of factors will influence the decision over which components are required for any given type of application. Some of these factors include the number of rooms to be heated, the size of the rooms and the floor construction of the property.

To get the best out of your underfloor heating system it is important that you have the system properly specified by a professional or company that specialises in UFH system design. If you do not already have these why not let us take care of this for you? We can provide a full system design including CAD pipe layout from your set of plans or drawings.