How Underfloor Heating works differently to radiators

There are clear differences between underfloor heating systems and general radiator based central heating systems. Most people are familiar with radiator systems as they have grown up with them in their homes, but in fact they are often more expensive, unsightly and less economic to run than underfloor heating. Here are a few key differences:

Temperature control

Modern warm water underfloor heating gives a near perfect room temperature profile between floor and ceiling due to a balanced combination of radiant and convected heat. Underfloor heating uses radiant heat which ensures you feel comfortable even at a lower air temperature than that produced by a conventional radiator heating system. Conventional radiator central heating producers the majority of its heat by convected air.

Keeping your whole room warm

Convected air produced by radiators rises making the ceiling the warmest part of the room. Underfloor heating produces 50% of its warmth using radiant heat, this means all the floor is evenly heated, this is then absorbed by objects (sofas etc) in the room. Radiant heat gives you the ideal comfort conditions warm feet and a cool head. Underfloor heating uses radiant heat ensuring that you feel comfortable even at a lower air temperature than that produced by a more conventional heating systems.

With underfloor heating all the floor is heated so no matter where you are in the room its all the same temperature. The heat rises and surrounds you and your furniture leaving you with warm feet and a cool head. A radiator rises to the ceiling and slowly works its way down leaving one side of the room where your radiator is hot and the opposite side cool, this also means you have a warm head and cold feet.

Keep each room in your home at the perfect temperature

Underfloor heating in a full house allows you to have individual room temperature control in every room (multi zone systems) and time control with night setback, This allows you to control the air temperature in every room by a room thermostat and a time control which will override the times set if the temperature drops below the set back temperature. The water temperature is controlled by a thermostatic mixing valve located on your manifold this is set anywhere between 35 & 65 deg dependant on heat loss. Unlike a traditional radiator system which is controlled by one thermostat for the whole house and thermostatic radiator valves (TRV’s) to control water temperature. TRV’s only control the temperature going into the radiator which means your radiator could have shut off as the TRV is up to temperature but the air temperature in the room still requires more heat this leaves you with a room that’s not warm enough because the water going into the radiator is too hot.

Read more:
Benefits of Underfloor Heating

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