Good planning of the electric underfloor heating installation is crucial to obtain the right level of heating and avoid energy losses. It is also important due to the cost of the investment—good calculations with the underfloor heating calculator allow you to choose the right materials in the right quantity—without having to overpay. Using the calculator, you also do not have to wait for an expensive underfloor heating system quote from an expert. How can you effectively plan your purchases and calculate the necessary material for electric underfloor heating systems?
- Basic information about electric underfloor heating system
- What factors influence the choice of electric underfloor heating systems?
- How can you effectively use the underfloor heating calculator?
Basic information about electric underfloor heating system
When choosing the type of underfloor heating, there are usually two solutions to choose from: heating mats and foil heating
Heating mats do not have any piping, so the installation of this solution is simple. It consists of thin meshes with built-in heating cables, which are connected together if you need to connect several mats. This type of mat is very well suited for rooms where the floor has not yet been installed or is being replaced. It is a type of wet underfloor heating. Such water underfloor heating systems can be installed in wetrooms.
The second type is foil heating, which is very thin, so it can be installed, for example, under laminates, carpets, and rugs. This can run underfloor heating because it has a thin structure and is made of conductive materials.
Choosing the right type of heating can be made easier by the underfloor heating calculator.
Both solutions, when properly installed, are energy efficient and are a very good alternative to a warm water underfloor heating project.
What factors influence the choice of electric underfloor heating systems?
What do you need to remember when calculating material requirements? Before installing underfloor heating, you should pay attention to several aspects that will help you optimise costs and increase heating efficiency.
Underfloor heating cost can be reduced if you take into account the usable area of the surface on which the underfloor heating will be installed. It should not be installed under fixed furniture, under the sink, bathtub and household appliances.
The effectiveness of underfloor heating depends on the layout of the room. If there are many alcoves, it may be necessary to install an additional thermostat.
Underfloor heating installed under tiles will require less energy, because ceramic elements are very good conductors of heat. With wooden floors and carpets, you will need to invest in a heating system with greater power.
You can reduce your electricity costs by choosing the right thermal insulation. This applies to both the floor and the room. This will minimise heat loss and the amount of materials needed to install underfloor heating.
Underfloor heating specialists also recommend purchasing several thermostats if there are to be several heating zones in the room. In this way, underfloor heating works more efficiently, because it allows for increased heating comfort and optimised energy consumption.
How can you effectively use the underfloor heating calculator?
To plan your underfloor heating design well and quickly, you can use a special calculator. Using the calculator is not complicated and takes into account many important parameters that will help you make a shopping list for the best underfloor heating system.
Room or heating surface area
First, you need to decide how you want to enter the data. Then, enter the length and width of the room in millimetres. The second option is to enter the total area of the room in square meters. The best solution is to enter the heating surface, i.e. excluding areas where underfloor heating will not be installed.
Type of heating system
Next, you need to choose a heating system (mat heating or foil underfloor heating mat). This will be a heating mat or foil heating according to the instructions given above.
When making this choice, remember that the heating mat cannot be cut, while the heating foil can. A big advantage of both solutions is the possibility of extending the wiring.
Choosing a thermostat
Wondering if one thermostat is enough? When determining the number of thermostats you need to buy, you need to consider their maximum load, which is 3500W. One thermostat is usually enough for about 23 square meters of surface. If the room surface is larger, it will be better to use underfloor heating manifolds. Furthermore, one thermostat can only control one floor sensor at a time.
The use of the calculator greatly speeds up the process of calculating the material requirement. In this way, you can calculate how many square meters of heating mat or heating foil are needed, the number of required thermostats, the total power supply. The calculations also reduce the heating surface by about 5% to allow for easy adjustment of the mat to the room. The results can usually be downloaded as a PDF file, which will make it easier to create a shopping list—before overestimating the demand.
