Underfloor Heating

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thebarret

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Hi!

Does anyone have underfloor heating in their homes, because we are going to re-tile our house and thinking of installing underfloor heating with the new tiles. The thing is how energy efficient is it in terms of electricity consumption and is it any good. Do those who have it find it useful or just a waste of money :D

We are living in Cape Town so the winters here are quite cold. The area the heating should cover is approx. 40m^2 in total.

Thanks in advance!! :)
 
Considering what's inside the earth's core, we ALL have underfloor heating. :o
 
Why re-tile then? Those tiles probably suck up all that cold and keep you cold in winter.
 
We have under tile heating and don't find it at all efficient.All it does is spin your electricity meter and not heat the room.The main use is just to take the chill out of the air/floor.The best heater is a good old fireplace!!
 
if you're redoing the tiles anyway i'd put in the underfloor. you don't have to use it but it's a good selling point. i find that it works OK but electricity's hellish expensive.
 
czc said:
Why re-tile then? Those tiles probably suck up all that cold and keep you cold in winter.
Click to expand...

The house is being renovated and new rooms and extension were added hence we have to re-tile certain areas of the house.
 
We have under tile. It heats the room up very well but it's not cheap to run. Heater elements are between 3 and 5kw depending on the size.

I use the aircon rather than the underfloor heating. Much cheaper.
 
The tiles we wish to put are marble tiles and porcelain tiles, so they will be able to hold heat for longer. But electricity expense is my main concern.
 
thebarret said:
Hi!

Does anyone have underfloor heating in their homes, because we are going to re-tile our house and thinking of installing underfloor heating with the new tiles. The thing is how energy efficient is it in terms of electricity consumption and is it any good. Do those who have it find it useful or just a waste of money :D

We are living in Cape Town so the winters here are quite cold. The area the heating should cover is approx. 40m^2 in total.

Thanks in advance!! :)
Click to expand...

We have it at home.... maybe 40sqm is covered. We used it for one month (in the few years we've had it). The electricity consumption quadrupled. It's completely and utterly not worth it. (2kWh is what you put into it when it heats up). With the high electricity prices I'd suggest you use other sources of heat.
 
What about natural wood or laminated flooring? Unless, of course, you're planning on laying the tiles in a bathroom. Layer of insulating material, then the wooden flooring on top.
 
stop being a ***** and just do normal tiles. it's not THAT cold in cape town GEEZ
 
Lol acid

Yeah I agree not effective enough and consumption is high, to feel any benefit you will need to leave it on 24/7
 
You should lay an insulation layer below the screed.
This will block the heat from escaping down into earth.
Most ZA installers just install screed with no insulation below.
Also pays to have insulation in your ceiling and if you can afford it double glazed glass windows.
 
AcidRaZor said:
stop being a ***** and just do normal tiles. it's not THAT cold in cape town GEEZ
Click to expand...

exactly this ^

you want cold and stuff go to jhb

my aunt has under floor heating under tiles and works nicely ..not sure about the electricity but the heat used to keep the kitchen and lounge very warm as well as some of the rooms upstairs
 
samr1wp said:
exactly this ^

you want cold and stuff go to jhb

my aunt has under floor heating under tiles and works nicely ..not sure about the electricity but the heat used to keep the kitchen and lounge very warm as well as some of the rooms upstairs
Click to expand...

+1.

It works like a charm.
But yeah. It's not financially viable when it comes to paying for the electricity afterwards.
 
There is another option which will be cheaper on electricity but dont know how easily it is available and what installation will cost.

Install a heat pump, connected to a water reservoir with small pipes running below the tiles. The water will then be circulated through these water pipes underneath the tiles and warm up the floor that way. You can also connect the heat pump to your geyser...

I know these systems exists but the question will be where to get it....

Also as mentioned ^ other insulation such as double glazing/door/roof could make a bigger difference
 
I have bought a new house and it has underfloor heating throughout. Not a chance I will be using it though. In fact when I re tile I am going to rip up the lot.
 
Tiles are cold. My last flat was tiled all over and was really cold in winter. New flat has those wooden assembled floors - much better during winter.
 
czc said:
Tiles are cold. My last flat was tiled all over and was really cold in winter. New flat has those wooden assembled floors - much better during winter.
Click to expand...

underfloor heating under the tiles make the tiles very warm ...can walk barefoot on there during winter
 
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