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Original poster

The truth about electric under floor heating?

74 replies

sluj · 20/01/2022 18:05

I need to make a quick decision, do we bother or not? It's for a new 25m2 kitchen / diner extension. We can't have one connected to the central heating as our boiler barely copes as it is due to weird layout of the house. There are 2 radiators but they are suffering from the poor CH too.
I like the idea of UFH but I am worried I will need to have it on very early and all day and it will cost me a fortune.
Can anyone offer an opinion please?
The alternative is a high wattage plinth heater for a speedy warm up in the morning but I will ask for opinions on them in another thread.
Thank you Smile

OP posts:
Omicrone · 20/01/2022 18:07

I don't have it, but I believe that electric UFH is very expensive from what I have heard?

Policyschmolicy · 20/01/2022 18:08

We have it. We don’t use it as it’s astronomical to run.

CamomileTeabag · 20/01/2022 18:09

Electricity UFH is not cheap to run.
It's also relatively common (in my experience) for sections of floor to fuse out of the circuit and not work any more.

HollyBollyBooBoo · 20/01/2022 18:12

Costs an insane amount to run so that's always put me off. Feels amazing underfoot though!

Original poster
sluj · 20/01/2022 18:13

Wow, some quick negative responses there! I have to say running costs and the amount of time it would have to be on could be an issue with current fuel prices. At least with the alternative idea of a plinth heater, I could just put it on now and then for more or less instant heat

OP posts:
MilduraS · 20/01/2022 18:13

I remember my mum being very jealous when my auntie had it installed in her new massive kitchen. She used it for one winter back in around 2002 and hasn't used it since. Not sure if newer ones are better but her electric bill was in the thousands when she finally did her meter reading.

EmmaPaella · 20/01/2022 18:18

I have no idea, but DH was telling me the other day that UFH will be the way forward when they ditch central heating!

KittenKong · 20/01/2022 18:20

It’s nice and we have it - although broken so we have a few warm patches (I’m like a cat in the winter). It costs £££££ to fix (which is why we have a broken system - it was broken before we moved in and the builder said that he’d need to take all the floors up to fix it!).

NightmareSlashDelightful · 20/01/2022 18:22

I had it in a flat I lived in previously. It was a water system I think. (Flat was rented.) I found it economical, but it was throughout the flat (so no radiators anywhere, except heated towel rails in the bathrooms) and the building itself was fairly new, so well insulated.

I’d have it again, but for me it’s an all-or-nothing type deal. Whole house or don’t bother. Because I don’t think the way it works lends itself to efficiency in single rooms or areas.

JaffavsCookie · 20/01/2022 18:24

We have it in the bathrooms only, it’s gorgeous underfoot in cold weather but costs 2 arms and one leg to run so i keep it permanently switched off.

TenoringBehind · 20/01/2022 18:43

Expensive
Takes ages to get warm
Pain in the neck to have fixed when it fails

roses2 · 20/01/2022 18:46

It will be cheaper to upgrade your boiler and get wet ufh than pay the £££ running costs for eletroc ufh

Invasionofthegutsnatchers · 20/01/2022 18:46

If you have babies or toddlers or cack handed DH who spills food on the floor, it turns to concrete with the heat. Especially weetabix and ready brek.

borntobequiet · 20/01/2022 18:47

Awful and wasteful on those days when you want warmth first thing but as the day warms up you want the windows or doors open for fresh air and sunshine,
Vile if children drop chocolate and similar on the floor.

Invasionofthegutsnatchers · 20/01/2022 18:47

@MilduraS who us ditching central heating? Whaaaa?

RamblinBoy · 20/01/2022 18:49

We have it in 2 rooms. It's nice to have, we don't find it crazily expensive in the grand scheme of things (house costs a fortune anyway) and it was relatively cheap to buy and install at the time of refurb (compared to central heating UFH). It does warm the rooms really well and quickly and is very pleasant especially as we spend a lot of time on the floor with the kids.

Cons as per this thread really. I wouldn't fit it again but I would have UFH connected to the central heating in a heartbeat.

MissFritton65 · 20/01/2022 18:50

@sluj I've replied on the builder thread but have just realised you are considering electric UFH ......ours is water and that's much more economical. We have electric in the bathrooms but it's on for limited times during the day.

ffscovid · 20/01/2022 18:50

Very expensive to run. Also, if you have UFH in some areas of the same floor level in the house and not in others, it can create weird air currents so you end up with a bit of a draught.

PizzaDays · 20/01/2022 18:50

We have it in the bathroom (no central heating anywhere - just oil/ electric radiators, so I want the bathroom to be cosy). We put ours on in November and turn it off in March/ April.

I’m sure it adds a good deal to the heating, but I love it……

BigotSpigot · 20/01/2022 18:53

We have electric in one are and wet in another. We don't actually use the electric (small area) as I always forget to switch it on but I know the costs are very high. The wet system is great and just rumbles on at a low temp. I wouldn't consider electric for a large space. As another poster says, probably cheaper to get a better boiler, a floor like wood (warmer) rather than tile and some nice vertical rads.

twocatsandtwokids · 20/01/2022 18:57

Ours is extortionate 🙈😆 Really large room though, open to the conservatory at one end so it gets really cold. I reckon £5/£10 a day to run on the coldest days 😬

HasaDigaEebowai · 20/01/2022 18:59

We have it in a couple of bathrooms and used to have it in our kitchen and downstairs shower room. We hardly ever use it because it costs a fortune

DoorMatCat · 20/01/2022 19:03

Once I realised quite how eye wateringly expensive the electric underfloor we have in our bathrooms is, I became outstandingly parsimonious with its usage (thank you smart meter). Ours had a tendency to come on through the night as it took a run up to come on with the timer!

What was really frustrating was the way it had been laid out (badly) so sitting on the loo = one warm foot and one cold foot or standing by the sink = warm heels but cold toes.

We've really nailed down our electric, gas and water consumption and have made some great savings.

Milliways · 20/01/2022 19:05

We have it in our large kitchen/Diner and DH only puts it on when the sun is out so the solar panels are stopping the meter turning!

foggygreyday · 20/01/2022 19:13

We've just finished extension. Original plan was wet UFH but due to issues and costs we were talked out of it by plumber. We didn't have electric UFH as heard very expensive. So instead we have 2 massive tall radiators and a couple of plinth heaters.

I regret not getting the electric UFH to go with the radiators and plinth heaters. The plinth heater fans are noisy and the floor is cold. I wish I'd got the EUFH just to feel warm underfoot and so I could switch off stupid plinth heaters when room up to temperature.