How UFH Works

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How Underfloor Heating Works

Underfloor heating heats a room evenly from the ground up, radiating heat either by warm water flowing through pipes embedded in the flooring.

Traditional radiators, on the other hand, heat a room from an extremely limited surface area via convection (where warm air rises and cooler air sinks) resulting by definition in cold spots and drafts.

Underfloor heating is the perfect solution to this inefficient method of heating and in fact is closer to being a ‘radiator’ than a radiator is. The warm water heats the floor mass, a much larger surface area, and this heat radiates upwards (there is some convection going on but over 80% of heat transfer is by radiation) ensuring the room heating is much more even, effective and economical than a typical radiator system.

This system not only results in better comfort levels and sense of luxury, but also puts less of a strain on your boiler when compared to traditional radiator systems. This is because of the lower operating temperature (around 40°C) of underfloor heating— radiator systems usually operate at around 65°C.

Underfloor heating is ideal when used in combination with renewable technology, such as heat pumps, which have a low flow rate.

BENEFITS OF UNDERFLOOR HEATING

Energy Savings

With lower system and inlet temperatures, Underfloor Heating makes your home more energy efficient. Our systems are also perfect for use in conjunction with equipment that delivers renewable energy or high temperature fossil fuel energy sources.

Clean and Hygienic

The dryness of the heat produced by UFH deprives bacteria and dust mites of the moisture they need for survival. In contrast, radiators and the convection currents they create propel dust and mites around your home potentially causing irritation.

Property Value

Energy efficiency and cost savings on heating bills are a great selling point for homes with UFH.

Less Wall Space Used

The entire living space can be utilised, as wall spaces are free of radiators and any cold spots are eliminated, as the whole floor emits heat into the room.

No Cold Spots

Comfortable and even temperatures across your heated rooms.

TEMPERATURE CURVE COMPARISONS

Comparing ideal heating curves to underfloor heating and traditional radiator heating.

IN DETAIL

In a typical installation of underfloor heating, pipes are laid over insulation and under a screed. Pipes are laid in rows, coiling where necessary according to bespoke digital computer assisted designs( CADs), and evenly spaced to ensure an even spread of heat across the floor area.

Pipes are laid in ‘zones’ according to room usage allowing the user to have full control over the heating via thermostats. Some larger ‘zones’ require multiple pipe loops to make sure the space is evenly heated, these however are still controlled by one thermostat dedicated to the zone.

STEP BY STEP:

1. The thermostat is switched on by the user.

2. The thermostat signals to the wiring centre.

3. The wiring centre switches on the zone
actuators, calls for hot water from the heat source (such as the boiler) and switches on the UFH control pump.

4. Hot water from the boiler is pumped into the manifold, then distributed into the correct zone via the manifold pump to heat the selected room.

5. As the water moves through the system, the water returns back to and through the manifold then back to the boiler.

6. To maintain a steady room temperature, the thermostat continues to manage the wiring centre accordingly.

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