Any advice (at all) about underfloor heating?

[EssentialHummus]

In a bit of a panic.

We've bought a huge old Victorian flat with high ceilings, sash windows etc, which seems to have some underfloor heating installed in some places, but which our builder has decreed will be next to useless as they are once the wooden floor is repaired and gaps in there closed. This floor repair was supposed to start on Monday.

The builder's advised underfloor heating, which I don't know the first thing about. So:

For two very large rooms and three "normal" bedrooms with high ceiling etc, is underfloor heating better at heating than radiators?

What costs more to run, wet or electric?

What costs more to install, wet or electric? What might it cost?

Who installs it? There seem to be a lot of DIY options available - could a builder do it, or do you need a plumber?

Any other considerations with joisted wooden floors?

Any thoughts or advice at all gratefully received.

energy from electricity costs about four times as much as energy from gas. So don't get electric unless you are both rich and profligate.

Wet UFH (pipes heated from a boiler) works and a wooden floor won't stop it. Thick carpet and underlay will slow it down and the heat will degrade any rubber backing or underlay.

Wet UFH is best installed by a heating engineer, not a builder. It is easy if the floor has been taken up, or, in a new house, before the floor is laid. It can be done from cellars and basements if there is access. It is most often incorporated in new concrete floors, before they are poured, and is particularly successful in tiled solid floors.

We've put it throughout a bungalow renovation. Gas heating - def not electric.

There are underfloor gearing specialists who do the installation & testing. Ours cost 3K for 1600 sq ft but that's a separate cost from plumber (6K).

Carpets in bedrooms & toy room - as piglet says we haven't put down any underlay so carpet will have a short lifespan but I really want kearndean on our bedroom & playroom so we plan to do that in a few years anyway. Carpet is cheap to replace it's just the hassle of moving furniture!

It's a nicer heat than radiators - not as stuffy & more evenly distributed. Have a radiator in utility room for tea towels & heated towel rails in bathrooms.

We have a mixture of wet and electric, but we don't have gas and heat from air source heat pumps anyway. After 15 years the wet leaked so has been replaced with a more up to date system. The advantage is that it is warm everywhere and no walls taken up by radiators. We have a mixture of engineered wood and ceramic tiles. Solid wood does work but I wouldn't have carpets. Just buy a rug! We also have a wood burner in one large room but rarely use it, even on freezing days. The heat we get is effective.

We have electric underfloor heating in bathrooms upstairs. They are small areas and it is really cosy and cheap to install. If you have a largish flat you won't notice high running costs if you just have it in the bathroom, en suite etc. and you would save £££ on installation. I would get a heating specialist / plumber for installation. If your wet is an old system, I would replace it unless it is fairly new. I love this form of heating.

OP look at wundafloor UFH. It is a wet system designed for installation in old properties. It requires no screed but all skirtings and doors do need to come off. I have it in my house which is around 3500sqf. I use 3 or 4 X 1500l oil pa to run it which is quite efficient (no gas available). I have it everywhere and each room has it's own digital thermostat. Downstairs is fully tiled, upstairs is fully carpeted. I love it and would definitely fit again in another house. You can also place furniture anywhere you like

Thank you everyone, really helpful - it looks like it'll have to be wet, then.

I'm looking into all your suggestions today, and have found one tradesman to come out this afternoon for a quote.