Floor heating systems are among the most efficient ways to heat a room. There is minimal wasted energy, they are low temperature, no dust or noise and the heat rises past you as you are standing on the floor.
In bathrooms the heated floor will minimise mould as the space remains dry. Towels will not become musty and the bathroom will stay looking new for an extended period of time. The bathrooms are usually the coldest rooms in the house, but with floor heating they will be a comfortable and warm space. Also any heating in other parts of the house will not rush to the bathrooms to create draughts.
The floor heating can be installed by trades or DIY kits can be available. In most cases an average bathroom would cost around $750.00 + GST installed, so there is no reason to put up with cold floors in the middle of winter.
Floor heating comes in many forms depending on the floor areas being heated. Electric floor heating is designed to be in smaller floor areas such as kitchens or bathrooms and is ideal for renovations. This form of floor heating is an electric cable which heats up when electricity is attached. This heat then warms the surrounding floor. It has little impact on the structure of the building and can be installed in 5mm tile glue, 20mm screed bed, slabs, under carpet and floating timber floors.
When you have larger floor areas then it could be worth the investment to install a hydronic floor heating system. These systems utilise energy sources other than electricity as the system needs to warm water which flows in pipes within the floor. Natural gas boilers can be used and also solar electricity. Off grid developments utilise the solar electricity they generate or wood fired boilers.
Hydronic heating is a more systemic heating solution and will impact the design of the building to ensure there is adequate space for the pipe installation and the plumbing infrastructure which controls the flow of water in the pipes.
All the floor heating systems are low temperature with the cables and water all heated to 45 deg C. Different installation methods will determine the responsiveness of the heating, but in most cases the heating is designed to provide a low temperature comfortable living space of 21 deg C and eliminate any chill.
It is a good idea to contact a professional floor heating company early in a renovation or building project to discuss options for the project and plan in advance the system which best suits. Most floor heating specialists will provide an initial plan of the heating system with a costing obligation free. All that is needed is a floor plan with dimensions and information regarding the floor construction and the proposed floor covering.
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