Underfloor Heating Under Laminate

The floor size of your project will play a significant role in deciding on the best underfloor heating system for your project.

For smaller rooms, such as a bathroom or a kitchen, an underfloor heating foil is often the ideal choice due to its easier installation and faster warm-up time.

For larger areas, such as an open plan laminate-floored living area or a laminate-floored conservatory, water underfloor heating is the recommended choice due to its lower running costs.

The available thickness or height of your floor build-up with underfloor heating installed will be a big influence on your final choice.

With electric underfloor heating foil, it has a much lower profile overall and so is ideal for renovations, adding little to no overall floor height to your room.

On the other hand, water underfloor heating systems typically have a bigger build up, adding extra height to the floor. This is an important consideration if your room has low ceilings, doors you want to avoid altering, or if you're concerned about creating uneven floor heights between a room with underfloor heating and one without. Water-based systems are ideal for new builds or when integrated into an extension, where changes to the floor structure are more easily accommodated.

Budget is an important factor when choosing an underfloor heating system.

With electric underfloor heating foil you'll find it has a lower upfront cost and is easier to install, making them a budget-friendly solution for smaller rooms or renovations, however can be slightly more expensive to run over time.

Water underfloor heating has a higher installation cost, but is more cost-effective in the long term due to lower running costs. Running costs can be next to nothing when paired with a renewable energy source such as a heat pump, making it an efficient and sustainable heating solution.

If energy efficiency is a priority in your home or project, water underfloor heating connected to a heat pump is often the best choice.

Electric underfloor heating foil is more suited for areas where quick heating is needed, but will consume more electricity if part of a full-house heating set up. However, if you have solar panels installed, the cost of electric will be significantly reduced, offsetting the energy consumption with the electricity generated by your renewable energy source, making it a more cost-effective option for your home in the long term.