4 minute read
Underfloor heating
Why zoning matters
Changes in the way we live and work have highlighted the importance of advanced controls that enable customers to zone their heating systems, writes Chris Ingram, founder of Continal Underfloor Heating.
Many household budgets are tighter than ever due to the impact of the pandemic, and homeowners are always looking for ways to make their money go a little further.
Utility bills are rising, with the price cap for default domestic energy deals raised to cover rises in the wholesale costs of gas and oil. Around 80 per cent of the energy used in a property goes towards providing heating and hot water, so it’s an easy place to start when trying to reduce household bills.
Switching energy supplier is one way, but upgrading heating control systems to make sure their heating is as efficient as possible is often the quickest and most cost-effective way to improve efficiency and so bring down costs.
For years now, manufacturers have been pushing the importance of advanced controls, and yet 15 per cent of homes with gas central heating still do not have a basic thermostat1 – let alone sophisticated modern controls.
Revisions to Building Regulation Part L, due out later this year, are designed to encourage more properties to improve their heating controls. From April 2022, it will be mandatory in England and Wales for each room in new-build properties to have its own temperature controls. Existing homes that do not have this level of control will need to have them fitted when their boiler or heat source is replaced.
For underfloor heating (UFH) systems, that means fitting a thermostat in each room. This will monitor the temperature in that room, or area, sending data back to the wiring centre to ensure that each part of the property will maintain the desired temperature.
Get into the zone
Fitting individual room temperature control as part of the UFH system also gives homeowners the opportunity to go a step further and introduce specific heating zones, and this can boost heating system efficiencies significantly.
A multi-zone system divides the property’s heating into specific areas based on their usage and requirements, for example: kitchen, office, bedroom, and lounge. Separate heating programmes are then created for each area, each controlled by its own thermostat, to ensure that the room is only heated when it is likely to be in use.
For example, zoning a system means you can set the heating to come on in the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom first thing in the morning while the household gets ready for the day, leaving the living and office areas set at a lower temperature. Then, from 9am when children are at school and adults are either out at work or in their home office, the heating in those areas can be switched off, or the temperature reduced, while the working area is kept warm.
Having multiple zones gives complete flexibility and control over the heating, so that no heat energy should ever be wasted on an unoccupied room.
With more people working flexibly in the future, flexible heating systems will ensure that they don’t pay any more than they have to for the comfort and warmth that a modern UFH system brings.
Design for life
Creating a zoned UFH system comes down to the design. A zoned system uses a wiring centre and actuators to provide independent control of each zone, with separate pipe runs going to each room, all connected to a central manifold. A room thermostat is then fitted in each area to monitor the temperature, sending data back to the wiring centre and telling it when it needs to open the actuator and fire up the boiler to send heat to that specific zone.
Making sure this type of system works efficiently means choosing the right controls, and working with a manufacturer who can design a system for you that maximises efficiency at every stage. Every UFH system should be carefully designed and built to meet the users’ needs. That means talking with customers right at the start to learn how they live and how they want to be able to use the system, then assessing what zones they will need.
Always choose a supplier that can offer advice on the right questions to ask, and one that will provide detailed CAD and installation plans to make fitting the system simple. ■
www.ufh.co.uk
Quantum of controls
Continal’s Quant digital thermostats can be installed in every room of the home, with both wired and wireless options. Digital thermostats can be app-controlled and operated remotely through a smartphone or tablet, as well as manual dial thermostats for those who prefer an offline interface.
