Underfloor heating is a complete dream as it ensures that you receive the perfect living temperature evenly spread throughout your home.

For a great alternative to conventional radiators, underfloor heating is an increasingly favourite choice. Although this style of heating dates back to Roman times, when heated water passed through and between flagstones, the concept has taken its own time to catch on in British homes. But now that it has, it is becoming more and more popular. Underfloor heating isn’t that different from conventional heating systems – basically it provides the warmth to a room from the floor up rather than heating the ceiling space first, as is the case with radiators. It’s extremely efficient because the entire floor becomes a type of ‘radiator’, which emits heat in a very gentle way. As a result there are no cold spots and, as most of the heat is mostly concentrated in the lower part of the room, very little of it is wasted. A feature of many new homes, underfloor heating is catching on for older properties as well.

Different types of heating systems
When considering heating your floor you have a choice of two systems. Choose what is right for your home:

Wet systems
These systems work by circulating the low temperature water through a series of continuous pipe loops under the floor, connected via a manifold to a boiler. As the water runs through the system, heat from the water flowing through the pipe passes directly into the floor. Any kind of fuel can be used to heat the water – from gas to solar panels or even an Aga. Most experts recommend condensing boilers which are the most fuel- and cost-efficient when operated at the relatively low temperatures required by underfloor pipes. Typically, the water temperature needed in an underfloor heating system is 40°C to 60°C (compared to the approximate 80°C temperature required by a usual radiator system), warming the floor to a temperature of 25°C-28°C, which is comfortable to walk on.

Great for: New-build properties, complete renovations, extensions and large areas where pipes can be laid on to the subfloor before the final surface goes down. Fitting underfloor heating in finished rooms is obviously going to be a big job as every floor will have to be taken up and then re-concreted once the pipes are in. It’s going to be messy but certainly do-able for an experienced DIYer or confident fitter. Basically, it’s simply a matter of following the accompanying instructions. However, if you’re not a confident DIYer, it’s best to employ an expert to do it.

Cost: Can be as little as £12 to £16 per sq metre (for an average four-bedroom house), but as much as £30 per sq metre for small areas. So the more rooms you have fitted, the more cost-effective it becomes. If it’s going to be your main form of heating, wet systems are more economical.

Dry systems
These work on the same principle as wet systems, but the heat comes from heating cables, woven mats, or aluminium or carbon-heating films. These are connected together and linked to a thermostat and a mains-power supply.

Great for: Small areas (such as one room) and minor refurbishment projects where you want to avoid any extensive upheaval. This type of system tends to be easier to install than piping and, in many cases, can simply be glued into place beneath floor tiles. The cables used are often thin enough to be laid on an existing floor, meaning you avoid expensive installation. Remember, though, it’s very important that the electricity supply to the floor is fused separately and that the electrical supply is RCD protected (residual-current device, a life-saving trip switch). Always seek out an electrician who is qualified to lay an electric floor.

Cost: Approx £15 to £25 per sq metre, with running costs comparable to that of a wet system.

Is my house suitable?
When underfloor heating first came on to the market, it was seen as the perfect solution for bathrooms, conservatories and other extensions – especially those with cold stone floors. But as technology has steadily progressed, the uses and applications are becoming much more varied and adventurous, with systems to match most flooring types, to the point where it is now possible to have it in virtually any room. Polypipe (www.polypipe.com) is one of Europe’s largest and most innovative manufacturers of plastic piping systems, and its latest floor-heating system, Overlay, is ideal for the whole house or just single-room extensions and improvements. There are two systems: Overlay and Overlay Lite. Ideal for retro-fit projects, Overlay’s super-slim 18mm panels can be installed over the existing floor. It allows underfloor heating to be installed where a traditional system would either require expensive excavation or would necessitate the floor being raised to an unacceptable level. Overlay is made from a dense fibrous panel and can be used for heavyweight floor coverings such as ceramics and solid wood, both of which can be handily fitted and secured directly to the panels. Overlay Lite is a very strong but lightweight insulated panel used for lighter floor coverings such as laminate, engineered wood, carpet, etc. Overlay systems use a 12mm pipe at 150mm pipe centres and provide excellent response times and heat output, proving ideal for both traditional heating systems and low-temperature renewable systems.

What flooring is available?
Underfloor heating can be used with almost all types of flooring and that includes carpet, too. Electric underfloor heating company, Raychem, (www.raychemfloorheating.com), has many solutions, one is the T2Red – a self-regulating heating cable which can be installed under any floor, including carpets, without a risk of overheating. It says: ‘Our quality products assure owners the comfort of a warm floor with total care.’ Research by the Carpet Foundation ‘proved conclusively that almost all carpet can be used over underfloor heating systems without impairing the performance of the system’. Specifically, their tests showed that the carpet and underlay needed to have a thermal resistance of less than 2.5tog to work efficiently. But since most current carpet styles have a resistance of less than 1tog, the foundation was able to give the nod to virtually any carpet on the market. Warmup (www.warmup.co.uk), electric underfloor heating specialists, says: ‘A complete installation of electric underfloor heating systems can be achieved in hours without the need for specialist tools or skills.’ Over the past few years, as stone, ceramic, slate and terracotta have become more fashionable, there has been an increase in the number of homes using underfloor heating. The heat-up time depends on the thickness of the tiles. Unsurprisingly, thick flagstones will take longer to reach optimum temperature, but once this is reached, there’s actually no difference in heat quality. Underfloor heating is suitable for use with many types of timber flooring, but most installers stipulate that the timber be specifically recommended for it. So you should always liaise with both your flooring supplier and heating installer before making your purchase.

Get the most from using this form of heating

• It operates at much lower temperatures, so it’s about 30% cheaper to run than radiators, and needs little maintenance.
• Control systems allow each room on every storey of a house to have a separate set of pipes as well as thermostatic controls, allowing you to then set a different temperature for each room.
• Underfloor heating is, of course, hidden beneath the floor, so frees up wall space –so there are no more bulky radiators to worry about.
• Heat is radiated from the floor upwards, so you will experience the heat as it rises, rather than heating the space immediately below the ceiling first, as is the case with radiators, which work by convection. And not only will you feel its effects much more quickly, but it also heats up the room more evenly.
• Underfloor heating tends to create less moisture than traditional heating, so reducing the number of house dust mites – which is excellent news for those of us with allergies.

Photograph: Getty Images