The key to any heating system effectively and efficiently heating a room or property is insulation. The more heat you are able to retain in a property and for longer will mean spending less of energy to create heat.
In looking at heating systems such as underfloor heating, the topic of insulation will be upper most. As a far gentler and subtler heat, you need to retain as much of this as possible thus, asking how much insulation do I need for underfloor heating is the very first question you should be asking.
Heat is lost from a property in all kinds of ways. The most common and well-known is poor loft insulation, draughty windows and ill-fitting doors.
With this kind of heating system, there is another consideration – the floor. And then there is a question of balance: a floor that is too heavily insulated will lead to loss of heat in a room because the heat will have to fight its way through layers of insulation to heat the room above.
Flor construction is important – possibly the most important factor – when considering underfloor heating.
With concrete floors, the screed acts to diffuse the heat across the surface, contributing to an even temperature at floor level.
Depending on the floor, there are various methods for construction but by insulation the floor beneath and around the edges, the heat is not lost and effectively it has nowhere else to go but to rise into the room.
Wood does not conduct heat as effectively as screed or concrete floors so which can lead to a lower heat output. That said, the correct construction and layers on insulation at floor level, you will still have an effective heating system underfoot.
We all know how important insulation our homes and properties is. So much so, there are various schemes that help people to buy into the most basic of insulation to improve the energy efficiency of their home.
An energy efficient property is key for any home, but is even more important, in some ways, when fitting an underfloor heating system When it comes to understanding how much insulation do I need for underfloor heating, it means understanding how underfloor heating works.
Underfloor heating, unlike radiators, does not belch out heat, it provides a gentler, subtler, background heat that is far more pleasant and comfortable to love with. However, to gain the most from the system, the property needs to hold on to as much of this heat as possible.
Top Tip – there are some manufacturers who are now offering the highest level of energy efficient glass that ‘traps’ the heat from the sun into a room. This will make an enormous contribution to decreasing your energy bills as your home will feel far warmer.
Even with the latest steps in home insulation, there are smaller areas of your home that can be a real problem when it comes to leaking heat.
With underfloor heating, the gentle heat becomes a more effective heat in a well-insulated home.