Underfloor Heating

A heating system installed beneath the floor surface that warms rooms from the ground up, using either hot water pipes (wet system) or electric cables (dry system).

Underfloor heating (UFH) is a heating system installed beneath your floor that radiates warmth upward, heating the room evenly from the ground. It’s an increasingly popular choice in renovation projects because it frees up wall space (no radiators), provides even heat distribution, and works especially well with modern flooring like tile and stone.

Types of underfloor heating

Wet (hydronic) systems

Hot water is pumped through a network of pipes laid beneath the floor. The pipes connect to your boiler or heat pump, just like radiators would. Wet systems are:

  • More efficient for heating whole houses or large areas
  • More cost-effective to run over time
  • More expensive to install — they require pipe laying and connection to your heating system
  • Best installed during a renovation when floors are being replaced anyway

Dry (electric) systems

Thin electric heating cables or mats are laid beneath the floor surface. Electric systems are:

  • Cheaper and easier to install — can often be laid directly on existing subfloors
  • More expensive to run — electricity costs more than gas or heat pump output per unit of heat
  • Best for individual rooms — bathrooms and kitchens where you want warm floors underfoot
  • Thinner — they add less height to the floor build-up

Installation during renovation

Underfloor heating is ideally installed during first fix, when floors are being built up or replaced. The typical process:

  1. Insulation boards laid on the subfloor (critical for efficiency)
  2. Heating pipes or cables laid in a pattern across the floor
  3. Screed poured over wet systems (or self-levelling compound for electric systems)
  4. Floor finish laid on top (tile, stone, engineered wood, or luxury vinyl)

Floor coverings and UFH

Not all floor coverings work equally well with underfloor heating:

  • Tile and stone — excellent thermal conductivity, ideal for UFH
  • Engineered wood — generally good, but check manufacturer guidelines
  • Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) — good, with temperature limits
  • Solid wood — not recommended as it can warp with heat
  • Thick carpet — acts as insulation and reduces effectiveness

Tips for homeowners

  • Plan early — UFH must be factored into the floor build-up height, which affects door clearances and step heights
  • Insulate below — without proper insulation, you’re heating the subfloor, not the room
  • Zone it — install separate zones so you can control different rooms independently
  • Consider your heat source — UFH works exceptionally well with heat pumps because it operates at lower water temperatures than radiators
  • Budget for the full system — include insulation, screed, manifold, and controls in your cost estimate, not just the pipes or cables