Pros and Cons of Underfloor Heating

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James Longley

Managing Director

min read

A few years ago, underfloor heating was considered an opulent commodity, only available for the elite who were lucky enough to afford the installation. However, the yearning for toasty feet dates back much further, with heated floors being found in China and Korea as early as 5,000 BC. The Greeks and Romans also enjoyed the luxury and made it an essential feature of many Roman bathhouses in 500BC.

Today, advances in technology and understanding of heated floor systems have made it a common feature in new-build homes and a popular choice for home and business renovations. Underfloor heating is an excellent alternative to radiators, especially since it doesn’t take up precious wall space and doesn’t present a risk to children or pets when it gets too hot. Plus, heated floors are more efficient when paired with a modern condensing boiler.

Underfloor heating is a cleaner, smarter way to heat both your home and business space. If you’re considering using heated floors as a method of maximising energy efficiency and saving money on your utility bills for your business, then read on to discover the pros and cons of underfloor heating.

The different types of heated floors: electric vs. water

The most common type of underfloor heating is water. Continuous lengths of pipework are installed below the floor level, either situated between floor joints or buried within a concrete screed. These pipes link back to a boiler or heat pump through a central manifold. Warm water is then consistently pumped through the pipes, so the whole floor slab becomes the heat emitter and ensures long term heat production.

Electric underfloor heating consists of sheets of matting that link back to a central room thermostat control. However, unlike the warm water heated floors, this system provides much less warmth and is generally used as an addition to radiators. It’s most commonly used in bathrooms as it’s more flexible and easier to install. Compared to water underfloor heating, electric systems are cheaper to have fitted, but more expensive to run.

The benefits of underfloor heating

Now you know the difference between the two alternate types of heated floors, let’s discover the benefits of underfloor heating.

Works with all floor coverings

Remodelling the office can be difficult if you’re restricted with what materials you can use. Thankfully, underfloor heating can work well with multiple options of flooring, including tile, carpet, wood, vinyl and laminate. That also means that the heating doesn’t have to be restricted to just one room in the office, from the kitchen to the bathrooms, your employees can keep toasty wherever they are.

Energy efficient heating

Heated floors provide an even distribution of warmth throughout each room. This means that you can lower the thermostat and still achieve an even temperature throughout, compared to using standard radiators which may require a higher temperature and still won’t achieve a consistent climate. As a result, by turning down the thermostat, your business energy bills will be lower.

However, this benefit is only for water underfloor heating systems. Electrically heated floor systems run on electricity, which means that it may increase your business electricity bill.

Easy to maintain and run

Once your heated floor systems have been installed, they require very little maintenance, and many come with a lifetime warranty. Some underfloor heating systems also have upgraded technology, which means you may be able to control the heating from your phone. So, it will be even easier to monitor your business gas and electricity bills by simply programming the heating to switch on just before and after office hours.

Better for employees’ health

If you install underfloor heating in your business space, then you’re actively helping employees who may struggle with asthma or allergies. Radiators encourage dust to move around the room, which may aggravate health conditions, however heated floors don’t, which make them a much cleaner heating system.

The disadvantages of underfloor heating

Unfortunately, there are some disadvantages of underfloor heating.

Underfloor heating costs

The underfloor heating costs can be very expensive. Not only will the initial cost of installation be pricey, but also the time it takes to install and the disruption to your office may also result in significant costs to your business. They will need to be fitted by a professional installer, so this will add extra labour costs to your final bill.

If you’re willing to cope with the long installation times and the expensive upfront cost, then this will certainly benefit your future utility bills. However, if you’re considering this as a long-term goal, then maybe consider switching your business utility providers to get a cheaper deal on your bills in the short term.

Furniture restrictions

Large, heavy items of furniture may not be able to sit on top of underfloor heating. With electric heated floors, furniture that’s flat across the bottom can’t be placed where the heating mat or cable is located as it restricts airflow and can cause thermal blocking. Additionally, items that have a tog value of over 2.5 will also cause the same issue. That means the office bean bag may have to go. For a full list of furniture restrictions, it’s best to speak to your installer.

Longer time to heat a room

Compared to standard radiators, underfloor heating systems take longer to heat a room. As underfloor heating systems generally run at lower temperatures, it will take longer for the hot air at the bottom to rise and fill the room. However, heated floors aren’t affected by open windows or doors, unlike radiators.

Floor height issue

By installing underfloor heating systems, the floor height of the office may need to increase by a few centimetres. Depending on the age of your business space, this may be an issue that might need additional building work to fix or alter, which will result in extra costs.

Now you’ve read through the full list of pros and cons of underfloor heating, we hope you can see the benefit of this energy efficient heating method. Not only will heated floors help improve your business utility bills, but they may also help improve your green credentials.

Looking to further improve your business carbon footprint? Then why not switch to green providers? If you need a hand with finding the best green utility deals, contact us today!

Frequently asked questions

The energy regulator, Ofgem, will implement a SoLR or “supplier of last resort” if your supplier ceased business.

No, if your supplier ceased business, your supply will not be cut off. This is because you will be given a SoLR or “supplier of last resort” to ensure you have a continuous supply of gas and electricity. Other suppliers will bid to replace the contracts of businesses that have ceased trading and Ofgem will try to get the best possible deal for the customer in these circumstances.

Ofgem will be working on finding your new supplier as quickly as possible. This will be announced on their website within a few days.

Your business contract will now be void and you will immediately be put on an “out of contract” rate which may result in your bills increasing. This will only be the case until a new tariff is agreed.

In regards to domestic customers, the protection of funds paid by non-domestic customers into their accounts “cannot be guaranteed”. Find out more information here.

Depending on your new supplier, you will still need to pay the debt to your new supplier if they have agreed to take on customer debts owed to your old supplier. If this is not the case, you will need to set up a payment plan with your old supplier’s administrators that will get in touch with you.

Businesses that use a smart meter will be appointed a SoLR and will still have access to a continuous supply. Similarly, to traditional meters, Ofgem will quickly find a suitable supplier for the circumstances. If a supplier is appointed but they can’t operate your smart meter in smart mode, it will work as a traditional meter for that time.

Ofgem advises that you should not cancel your direct debit as your new supplier will get in touch to provide further information on direct debit arrangements.