UFH

[SFK]

All,
I have an outside office (call it a shed) with okay insulation (basically a 2" cube of Kingspan that covers walls, floors and ceilings). When I use it I heat it with an 750W heater on a timer and thermostat and I am satisfied with that (it is warm enough even in winter).

It needs a new floor covering and I was considering putting in 1,000W of Electric Underfloor heating under laminate. I know there are statements that you need more heat than this, and that UFH is not best way to heat room, and that E-UFH is not that good, but this is simply to provide small background heating when needed.

So my question, Can I connect electric UFH to the Office Ring Circuit myself, or does it need installation (either full or partial) by a formally qualified person?
sfk

 

[Taylortwocities]

If the circuit can take an additional 1000watts and is RCD protected then, electrically, you can.

BUT

UFH is not good at providing heating for a space, it may warm your feet when you kick your shoes off in your "office" but it isn't going to wanrm your body, much

A BIGGER BUT

What is under the floor? To be effective the florr must be exceptionally well insulated.
If you have a suspended timer floor, then you may be able to get away with a proprietary insulation board.
If your shed floor rests on the ground, or a concrete slab, then all of the heat from the floor will be sucked into warming up the ants, moles or whatever else is under your edifice.

IMO, it would be better to buy a warmer coat and Scrooge gloves, or a fan heater.

 

[SFK]

Taylor,
With thanks for your response, that is good to hear.

Regarding your 'BUTs'. They are are completely valid and understood. I can see why many are disappointed by E-UFH. My current heater (and gloves and hat when very cold outside) already work okay and so yes this E-UFH is simply to allow me to kick off my shoes - it is a vanity project .

Regarding floor. I am very concious of external issues as there is a 15cm concrete slab under my feet, so short of heating the world with my heating, there is a chance that the floor would never get warm. However I do now have 2inches of Kingspan directly under my feet (and on the walls) in addition to the insulation that it originally came with, which has helped a lot to keep me warm already.

Thank you again, SFK

 

[ban-all-sheds]

IMO, it would be better to buy a warmer coat and Scrooge gloves, or a fan heater.

Or an ASHP - I wouldn't be surprised if the shed needs cooling in the summer.

 

[SFK]

Ban,
You too are correct - My office lives up to all the norms of a Box in a garden, difficult to heat and hard to cool. Like the UFH, it is a long way from being a real 100% solution. So I live for the Spring and Winter Equinox, the two days when the temperature is just right. :> And the rest of the time its gloves or shorts.

The lack of thermal mass is an issue. However, to a point the Kingspan does now work to significantly slowing the change. So now I do not immediately cook (as you did before) when the sun hits the outside wall or freeze when ground temperature drops. But of course once hot inside it can be slow/hard to cool. But I find that good ventilation on summer nights helps a lot, as does opening windows and door to get a through draft in the day (if outside air temp is not too high).

with thanks, sfk

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Small self-fit inverter AC.

 

[SFK]

Ban,
good idea that and will consider.
Thx SFK.