North Leeds Plumbing & Heating – Home Improvement and DIY Advice

Electric underfloor heating is the simplest system in that it has few components and is easy to install. It can also be the cheapest option for small areas where you want to enhance the existing central heating, by taking the chill off bathroom tiles or to keep a conservatory warm for example. Electric underfloor heating kits can be installed as a DIY project, although an electrician should connect it to the consumer unit for you.

An electric underfloor heating kit will have either a long length of unbroken cable that you must lay out evenly in loops across the floor, or a series of mats with the cables already in place. Heat insulation also needs to be placed beneath the cables, and the type depends on your floor construction, and how much depth you have to play with. Unless there is an inbuilt return, the cable will need to start and finish at the same point. It needs to be connected to the consumer unit via a fused spur. Electricity can then pass through the circuit, heating up the floor above it. Electric underfloor heating kits are also earthed and insulated to comply with safety regulations.

When several circuits are installed, covering different zones, they each have separate underfloor heating thermostats and individual fuses. Room and floor temperature sensors work with thermostats to control the level of heat. Electric underfloor heating cables can be fragile and need to be protected with a layer of screed or other material, according to the manufacturer’s recommendation.