Underfloor heating, wet or electric
Warm floors and no radiators, from a single bathroom to a whole house.
Typical budget Under £50,000 A guide only. You get a fixed quote after the survey.
Wet or electric: how each works
Wet underfloor heating is a loop of plastic pipe laid in the floor, usually in a layer of screed or in grooved overlay boards. Warm water from a heat pump or a boiler flows through the pipes and heats the floor, and the floor heats the room. A manifold splits the water between rooms, so each one can be controlled on its own.
Electric underfloor heating is a thin mat or loose cable laid under the floor finish. When it is switched on the cable warms up and heats the floor. A thermostat with a sensor in the floor keeps it at the temperature you set.
Either way, the heat comes up from the whole floor rather than from one radiator on a wall, so the room warms evenly and there are no cold corners.
Choosing between them
A wet system costs more to put in, but it costs less to run, especially with a heat pump. It suits whole houses, new builds and large extensions, where the floors are being laid anyway.
An electric system costs less to put in and is quick to fit, but it makes one unit of heat from each unit of electricity, so it costs more to run. It suits single rooms, such as a bathroom or kitchen refit.
We give a fixed quote after the survey, with the VAT treatment shown.
Underfloor heating and the rest of your home
Underfloor heating and a heat pump are made for each other: the heat pump makes low-temperature warmth efficiently, and the floor spreads it gently. Add solar panels and a battery, and much of that heat can come from electricity you made yourself. We design them together so every part is sized to work with the others.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Even, gentle heat across the whole floor, with no radiators taking up wall space
- Wet systems run at low water temperatures, which is what a heat pump does best
- Electric systems are thin and quick to fit in a single room
- Each room or zone gets its own thermostat and timer
- Both can be planned around solar panels and a battery
Cons
- It goes under the floor finish, so it is fitted during a build or refit, not on its own
- Wet systems need floor depth and a screed or overlay boards, which suits new floors best
- Electric systems cost more to run than a heat pump, so they suit single rooms rather than whole houses
- Thick carpet and underlay slow the heat getting into the room
- It is charged at the standard rate of VAT when fitted on its own
Who it suits
- New builds, extensions and deep renovations, where the floors are coming up anyway
- Homes with, or planning, an air source heat pump
- A bathroom or kitchen that is being refitted
- Rooms with tiled or stone floors that feel cold underfoot
What is included in a Bespoke installation
- A survey of the rooms, the floor build-up and your heat source or electrical supply
- A heating design with a layout and zones for each room
- Insulation, then pipework in screed or overlay boards, or electric mats and cables
- Manifold, pump and controls for wet systems, or a load check on your consumer unit for electric
- A thermostat for each room or zone
- Connection, testing, commissioning and certification by the same team
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose wet or electric underfloor heating?
For a whole house or a large extension, a wet system fed by a heat pump or boiler usually costs less to run. For a single bathroom or small room, electric is simpler and quicker to fit. We look at the whole home at the survey and recommend one.
Does underfloor heating work with a heat pump?
Yes, and it is one of the best matches. A heat pump is most efficient when it heats water to a low temperature, and a wet underfloor system spreads that gentle heat across the whole floor.
Will it raise my floor?
Electric heating adds only a few millimetres, plus any insulation board. A wet system needs more depth for the pipes and screed, or a low-profile overlay board on an existing floor. We check the finished height against your doors and thresholds at the survey.
Can I run it from my solar panels?
Electric underfloor heating can be timed to warm the floor during the day with generation you would otherwise export. A wet system gets the same benefit when solar powers the heat pump that feeds it.