Please answer my stupid underfloor heating question!

[FlourArranger]

I realise how ridiculous this is, but I am struggling to find an answer anywhere. (I have also seen PigletJohn repeatedly saying how electricity is 3 times more expensive than gas, but that aside!)

We have a conservatory which has been built for quite a while now (several months), but for various reasons doesn't have any floor yet - it is just the concrete.

We are now ready to lay a floor, but I am trying to decide between (naice) vinyl & ceramic tiles. Basically, the main thing in the vinyl's favour is that it wouldn't be freezing underfoot - so I want to know about electric UFH (obviously not water, as I don't want to dig it all up at this point!)

The bit that is confusing me (stupidly, I know), is how it plugs in? If we buy underfloor heating mats, do they literally just have a plug? Or do they need to be professionally wired in? They are sold with the description that they can be DIY installed, but the plug idea seems strange too. Will we need to chip away some of the new (as yet unpainted) plaster on the walls to install it?

Wired and they will need a new circuit.

Vinyl flooring would not give adequate protection to the heating cables intended for undertile use.

Oh no, I know - if we have UFH, we will have ceramic. If no UFH, we will have vinyl because they don't get so cold.

So how difficult / invasive will it be to wire a new circuit? As I say, they are advertised as being easy to install yourself (although I'm sure 'easy' is a variable term), but will it be a case of having to channel out lots of the fresh plaster, or just a small bit?

Thank you, by the way - I know you don't like electric UFH

You will need at least one socket-sized box sunk into the wall, and a route for the cable to go to it from your consumer unit, and a small chase from the box(es) to the underfloor cables. From memory you will need about one box per 5 or 6 square metres of heated floor. I would be inclined to have a separate run along the outside wall because I think it will need to be on more often than the centre of the room.

Consult your local qualified electrician before you go much further.

Hmm... I think on balance it's probably best to buy the more expensive vinyl tiles and have it all as an inclusive cost rather than the (much!) cheaper ceramic tiles but all the installation of UFH and of course the running costs... If it could be more DIY I might be tempted, but involving another tradesman at this point is just more than I can bear.

Thanks - you're great on these threads :)

I would go go for the electric UFH!

You can DIY laying the mat or wire - it is quite easy.
If it is n the right type of reflective board it should be able to bring the surface of your floor up to a warm temperature within 20-30 minutes. Without that it will heat the whole concrete slab before you feel it warm under foot and in that case it will also take ages to cool when it is turned off.

Get an electrician involved to advise you on his bit and how the wire or mat will meet up with what he need to do - so speak to him before you do anything.
Once installed the electric UFH systems have lifelong guarantees.
You don't have to turn it on but nice to have the option.

The websites of warmup (both uk and .com) are very informative. www.warmup.co.uk/

What's been described so far is of course an extension to your centrally controlled heating. You have the option of having it locally overtasked, ie a dedicated therm on the wall of the conservatory which is a much smaller job. Therm on wall, power to our and chase a probe down to the heating mats (units using an air temp sensor)

Sorry - so many typos on phone!

I would get an electrician to quote. Ours involved very little disruption and makes our bathroom toasty warm.

If you go with vinyl you will still need to heat the room somehow, and it isn't going to look as good or be as practical as UFH.

RCheshire must be confused - perhaps thinking of wet UFH.

We are all talking about electric UFH installed as a discrete heating system with its own thermostat in this one room.