electric underfloor heating advice needed

[suki chima]

hello
im moving into a one bed flat in about 3 weeks, its in a block and has concrete walls and floors,also has double glazing, its on the ground floor. the flat has a constant supply of hot water, part of service charge. but there is no boiler and no heating installed at present.
i am thinking of putting electric underfloor heating in, under: wood floor in lounge and bedroom and tiles in kitchen and bathroom, will this be sufficient to keep me warm in the winter?
i have visited a number of websites already but am getting conflicting info, some say electric is not sufficient and should use wet system, some say electric is sufficient, im very confused, please advise.
many thanks
suki chima

 

[didthathurt]

If you are going to heat the whole flat this way, you had best have very deep pockets as it will cost a fortune to run! Electric underfloor heating is OK for making the tiles in a bathroom more cosy to walk on, but not to heat the rooms. You would be far better off installing a wet system (especially if there is an unlimited supply of hot water) but you must make sure the service agreement allows you to do this. I'd seriously recommend you talk to a wet system specialist about what is and is not feasible and drop the electric underfloor heating idea.

 

[JACKC]

Also takes a long time to react to temperature changes when required, a wet system is far more effective as heats up far quicker.

 

[suki chima]

many thanks for the reply.

 

[Steve]

Stuff UFH, get some

HEAT PUMPS!

 

[plugwash]

hmm, would an underfloor heating system driven by a heat pump system be feasible?

 

[sm1thson]

heat pumps are most efficiant with underfloor heating (and visa versa)

 

[suki chima]

thanks for the reply people,
dumb question, but i'll ask it anyway, whats a heat pump ( not a boiler is it ?)

 

[Steve]

thanks for the reply people,
dumb question, but i'll ask it anyway, whats a heat pump ( not a boiler is it ?)

Its an air conditioner that works in reverse! It takes the heat from the air outside and converts it into useful heat indoors, using refrigerant. They can be up to 500% efficient - for every kw it consumes, it outputs 5kw!

And some people fear that when the temperature hits 0'c, the heat pump will stop working, since there is no heat left. Wrong. The heat is still there, all the way down to -272'C, which is absolute zero. Obviously we're unlikely to see that sort of temp in this country!! Ground source heat pumps are generally better in extremes of temperature, as they dont need to defrost outside.

Heat pumps come in various shapes and sizes, and can output heat either through radiators, wet UFH or wall-mounted convectors (like air conditioners). And the wall-mounted option can be used as an air conditioner too.

 

[suki chima]

thanks for the info crafty.
where would i find more info on heat pumps, where could i find out places to source one and prices?

 

[Steve]

http://www.iceenergy.co.uk/default.asp

They seem a good company to get involved with. Not had any personal recommendations or anything, but could ask for some info there. Google "heat pump" or "ground source heat pump" for more.