Is Underfloor Heating More Expensive Than Radiators?

How do Radiators Work?

Radiator systems are commonplace in almost every home in the UK, with most people unable to remember a time before they had central heating and radiators! They’re an effective method of heating a house and can quickly warm up a cold room. 

Radiators work through a process called convection heating. Water is heated by your boiler, and it then travels through your central heating system to the radiators. The hot water is what heats the radiators . 

When radiators get hot, the air surrounding them does too. This displaces the cold air which makes its way to the lower portion of the room, where it can be heated by the radiator. Eventually, the warm air that comes from the radiator cools down and returns to the bottom, where it can once again be heated by the radiator. This means there is a continuous flow of hot and cool air in the room, which goes on until the heating is turned off. 

Water doesn’t stay in the radiator the entire time – once the heating is turned off, it filters out. This means air can make its way in, and this is why radiators need bleeding from time to time. 

The surface of a radiator can be extremely hot, reaching temperatures upwards of 70 degrees celsius. This allows you to heat your home quickly, but can pose some health and safety risks. Fast heating radiators can also be quite expensive to run, but more on that in a little bit.

How do Underfloor Heating Systems Work?

In a way, having underfloor heating is like having a giant radiator underneath your floor. However, the way the system works will depend on the type that you have. There are two main types of UFH systems:

Warm water underfloor heating system: The first type is warm water underfloor heating, which works similarly to radiators. Pipes beneath the floor surface are warmed up by hot water passing through from the boiler. The key difference between radiators and warm water heating is the process that distributes the heat. As mentioned, radiators use convection heat which warms the air, but water underfloor heating systems use radiant heat. This means the underfloor heating heats up objects instead of the air. 

Electric underfloor heating system: Electrical underfloor heating systems are slightly different in the sense that they use wires under the floor that heat up instead of water pipes. These systems still provide radiant heat rather than convection heat. 

Underfloor heating systems (be them warm water or electric) don’t get quite as hot as radiators. The surface temperature sits at around 27 degrees celsius, which is considerably lower than a traditional radiator system. This reduction in surface temperature means less energy is needed for the same overall heat output. 

Another key underfloor heating benefits for both wet underfloor heating and electric systems is that there is a reduced risk of burns compared to traditional radiators. There’s also no need to worry about any sharp metal edges – having underfloor heating installed means your entire central heating system (except the boiler) is neatly hidden underground. This also works well in smaller homes when you don’t have much space to accommodate a bulky radiator system as well as your furniture.

The Cost of Radiators vs Underfloor Heating 

There are numerous costs involved with getting a new heating system in place, with the first one being the installation costs. In this sense, underfloor heating systems are more expensive than radiators because there is more work involved, however they could save you money later down the line. Let’s delve a little deeper.

Most homes already have radiators in place as part of their existing heating system, which means replacing them is more or less a case of taking the old one off the wall and putting a new one on. A lot of people are now choosing upright radiators for wall space saving purposes and a more refined, contemporary look. This may involve moving the radiator to a new location, but again, this shouldn’t take more than a few hours to do. 

In contrast, installing underfloor heating is a slightly more involved process depending on the age of your home. If you’re building a new house, it will be fairly simple because it can be installed before the floor. However, if you’re renovating a house, you may need to remove the floor and, in the case of warm water heating, raise the level. This is a more costly and lengthy process, meaning in terms of installation, radiators are generally cheaper.

Energy efficiency

After the installation, your next consideration will be running costs. This is where underfloor heating shines, as it’s far more efficient than radiators thanks to the lower surface temperature and radiant heat process. 

The higher the surface temperature, the harder the boiler has to work to heat it up. Therefore, the more energy it uses, and so the higher your heating bills will be. While the surface temperature of a radiator might be higher, this doesn’t mean it will make your home warmer. Underfloor heating warms the area closest to the ground where you are, meaning you will feel warmer faster because the objects you come into contact with are warm, despite the fact it operates at a much lower temperature than conventional heating.

Another factor that affects energy usage is the spread of the heat. Convection heating only warms up the immediate area, leaving cold spots and meaning you need to keep your heating on for longer to warm them. This contributes to higher running costs in the long-term.

Even heat distribution

Radiant floor heating results in a far more even distribution of heat, meaning it doesn’t take as long to heat up the entire room, allowing you to turn off your heating sooner and reduce the running costs overall.

Generally speaking, underfloor heating is up to 25% more efficient than radiators. This is a big difference that will see your energy bills reduce drastically – a welcome reduction given rising energy bills. Over time, this will mean underfloor heating works out to be less expensive than radiators, making it more cost-effective to choose underfloor heating.

Underfloor Heating Specialists at Bbright 

Changing your heating system is a big step, so it’s natural that you’ll have questions about it. Plus, every home is different which means the costs of installation and efficiency will vary in line with room sizes and insulation.