Another electric UFH question

[kjacko]

Hi,
so 6sqm (3m x 2m) of downstairs hallway, with front door as well as doors leading to: toilet, living room, kitchen, under stairs cupboard and then the opening to the stairs.
We used to have a small rad but it got removed due to an underground pipe leak. Since then that hallway has been cold.
So the initial idea is to put thermal boards down in the hallway and into the toilet (as its a concrete floor), put 5sqm of 150W UFH matting down, then screed on top prior to installing glue down LVT (or maybe tiles).
However there seems to be a lot of negative comments about electric UHF. It would be the only source of heating in that area but just needs to take the edge off the coldness.
To put a new rad back in would mean a different place from before and draw the pipes down from an upstairs feed, which is a ball ache as well as move some electrics.

We were also entertaining doing the same in the kitchen but for approx 9sqm. The current rad in the kitchen is too small but we could only replace it with a much taller one (not wider).

With the current cost of gas, maybe electric is the cheaper option now? We don't have the depth in the floor to go water-based UFH, nor the budget to channel into the existing floor.
Your thoughts please good people?

 

[crazydaze]

Even with Electric UFH, with LVT you will be increasing the floor height quite a bit, we are finding that we are needing to significantly bury the mats on our LVT installs to get a level good enough to lay LVT properly (all ways use High Temp adhesive too).

I think probably best to research the specs of the systems you are looking at, lot's of people expecting too much from the systems in my opinion, hence the negativity. Check the specs of the flooring you plan to fit also, you may be suprised at the max floor temperature it is rated to.

 

[kjacko]

Thanks mate,
I did install some in my brothers bathroom last year. Only about 1.5sqm, but the floor was so out of level that I had to put latex self levelling down first, then the matting then a 7mm screed on top, then glue down LVT. And tbh it’s pretty good. The warmth being generated is decent and my brother is very happy with it.

for my project, I’m now engaging with a reliable company (friend of a friend), so I trust their choice of products all to play nicely together. They are doing the whole job; screed, thermal boards, UFH, screed, LVT (herringbone).
Not sure why he feels the need to screed under the thermal boards, maybe because I did say the floor wasn’t entirely level, so he wanted a nice level playing field to start off with.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

With the current cost of gas, maybe electric is the cheaper option now?

Given how much electricity in the UK comes from gas [41% right now] you aren't going to escape the high cost of gas by using electricity, unless you're generating it yourself.

 

[kjacko]

Given how much electricity in the UK comes from gas [41% right now] you aren't going to escape the high cost of gas by using electricity, unless you're generating it yourself.

Yeah, you’re right. But I don’t think anyone can escape any of the crazy price hikes in, pretty much everything.