Energy efficiency

Underfloor heating’s time to shine

What lies ahead for the underfloor heating industry in 2021, and how can engineers expand their business while avoiding potential pitfalls? Chris Ingram, founder of Continal Underfloor Heating, has some answers.

The UK is at the beginning of a long-term move to low-carbon heating, thanks to the recent publication of the government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, and its ambitious goal to move away from fossil-fuel boilers and towards low-carbon alternatives.

Now that the Green Homes Grant scheme has been extended for an additional year until March 2022, more homeowners will be able to take advantage of up to £5,000 in government funding (or up to £10,000 for low-income households) to carry out efficiency upgrades on their property.

This extension is good news for the underfloor heating (UFH) sector. The scheme has brought low-carbon heating to the attention of millions of people across the UK, as evidenced by the sudden increase in people asking for quotes for heat pump installations. These fuel sources are unlikely to be installed in isolation, however, and will usually be installed as part of a wider

property renovation or extension, which will almost always require new heat emitters to be installed at the same time.

UFH is around 30 per cent more efficient as a heat emitter than radiators, especially when combined with heat pumps and the other renewable systems that operate efficiently on lower flow temperatures. In fact, air source heat pumps get their best efficiency levels when coupled with UFH.

There has been a lot of talk in the media about the government’s plans to ban the installation of gas boilers in new-build properties by 2025 – or possibly earlier – but if the UK has any hope of meeting its 2050 net-zero carbon targets, there needs to be a step-change in the way we heat our existing buildings as well.

Around 80 per cent of the buildings that will be in use in 2050 have already been built, so we have to decarbonise our existing housing stock urgently. Thankfully, modern UFH is easy to install in a property while it is being retrofitted, and will bring an immediate efficiency benefit while also offering homeowners the hidden luxury and comfort of an UFH system.

The COVID-19 lockdowns have already caused a rise in people wanting to renovate their home, as evidenced by the rise in the number of panel UFH systems being bought. Panel systems are formally recognised in SAP as being more energy efficient than the traditional, high-mass, screed UFH systems. They provide a

high degree of simplicity and, although they cost more to buy initially, they can be installed much quicker, saving time on site.

In fact, during 2020, sales of panel systems overtook classic screed systems for the first time, in part because they are perfect for retrofit installations, creating minimal disruption to the property.

Get the right training

One of the potential drawbacks of some government-funded grants is that they can often lead to a rise in unscrupulous people entering the market, who want to take advantage of the increased opportunities, but who lack the proper training and knowledge. We are already seeing the impact of some badly designed UFH systems that leave unsatisfied homeowners with poor heating systems, and so it is vital that heating engineers first make sure they are trained, and that they have the support of a reputable manufacturer with years of experience.

UFH is not a one-type-fits-all system, despite some online businesses claiming that they are. Engineers who want to fit UFH should always make sure they understand the differences between the system types, and how to make sure every system has enough insulation, so that all the heat energy is directed up into the room instead of being lost down into the ground. ■

“Panel systems are formally recognised in SAP as being more energy efficiency than the traditional, high-mass, screed UFH systems.”

The structural joist system OneBoard (pictured) can be retrofitted with no increase in floor heights, while the UltraSlim system adds just 15mm to the existing floor height, reducing the need to make further changes to doors, skirting and other features. This is a trend that we believe will continue right through 2021 and beyond, as more and more heating engineers move their businesses towards low-carbon alternatives from traditional boiler-and-radiator systems.

Continal has been one of the UK’s leading design and supply specialists for energy-efficient warm-water UFH for 20 years. The company’s full range of UFH systems for solid floors, overfloor applications and joist floors, as well as a full portfolio of controls and accessories, is at www.ufh.co.uk