Underfloor Heating Systems - Applications
Introduction
Electric underfloor heating can nowadays be installed in almost any domestic or commercial property, regardless as to whether that property is newly built or undergoing renovation. Underfloor heating systems can be installed on solid concrete, or suspended, floors and beneath a variety of floor coverings, making them suitable for any type of room. Loose heating cable is ideal for irregular rooms with limited space such as bathrooms, where areas of the floor are covered by a bath, lavatory, etc.. Underfloor heating mats, on the other hand, feature heating elements woven into a tough fibreglass or plastic, mesh and can be rolled out onto the subfloor of larger areas such as lounges, bedrooms and conservatories.
Underfloor Heating System Applications
One of the most popular applications of underfloor heating systems in the modern home is the primary heating of tiled areas such as bathrooms, kitchens and conservatories.
A wide variety of tiling materials are available - natural stone, including marble, limestone, slate together with ceramics, including porcelain and terracotta. All lend themselves well to covering floors in these areas but are rather cold to the touch. That said, stone and ceramics are among the most thermally conductive of all floor coverings and tiles made from these materials are usually sufficiently thin to allow a room in which underfloor heating is installed to heat up quickly.
Furthermore, accommodating traditional radiators in bathrooms, kitchens and conservatories can be difficult because of the restrictions on wall space. Conservatories, in particular, are often poorly insulated and subject to higher heat loss when compared with other rooms in the house.
Electric underfloor heating systems are effectively invisible, allowing you to position your furniture and fittings as you wish without the intrusion of traditional radiators. They also effectively turn a floor into one large radiant surface from which heat is released to the room above by direct radiation from a large area rather than the small, focussed area of a traditional radiator. This means that the air temperature in a room can actually be 2C lower than with a traditional radiator system for the same level of warmth and comfort, reducing energy consumption and fuel bills. Electric underfloor heating also produces fewer convection currents or draughts which can circulate dust, mould spores and other allergens in the air of a room heated by a traditional radiator system. It can, of course, be combined with an existing heating system if necessary so that one or the other system, or both, can be used at various times of the year.
Wherever underfloor heating is installed, due consideration needs to be given to climatic conditions, insulation and heat loss and, if the system is to be installed beneath a covering of solid or engineered, wood, or carpet, for example, the manufacturers' safety guidelines. The power output for underfloor heating systems is measured in W/m2 ("Watts per square metre) and typically ranges for between 40W/m2 and 60W/m2 for a new, well insulated building up to 200W/m2 for an area of high heat loss such as a conservatory.
Of course as well as providing heat for comfort, there are a number of specialist applications, internally and externally, where underfloor heating systems can provide a solution to a particular problem and specially developed products are available for these uses. In cold stores, for example, where the temperature can reach 20C or 30C below freezing, there is an inherent danger of floors, or foundations, absorbing cold even if the floor is well insulated and causing freezing of the groundwater. The transformation of groundwater into ice causes expansion and can cause substantial damage from so-called frost erosion. This problem can also occur in ice rinks, but underfloor heating systems can be also used to protect driveways, roofing, drainpipes, etc. from the dangers of frost and snow.