Electric Floor Heating Systems

Electric floor heating systems have very low installation cost for smaller spaces (1–5 rooms) because they are easy to install and have a very low start–up cost (a thermostat is all that is required and costs only about $100–$200). Although electric floor heating systems work well as a primary heat source, most systems are installed in the bathroom to add comfort and warmth to cold tile.

Electric floor heating systems are also typically installed in kitchens, bathrooms or in rooms that require additional heat (such as a cold basement, an addition or a kids' playroom). Rooms can be zoned with their own thermostat and programmed around the schedule of the inhabitant, this can add efficiency to an entire homes energy consumption.

Another advantage of electric underfloor heating over a warm–water system is the floor build up/height. Floor build up can be as little as 1 mm. The electric cables are usually installed onto an insulation board or directly onto the subfloor or padding (under carpet or laminate); then the floor covering is placed directly over the heating system or thinset.

Electric underfloor heating also benefits from faster installation times, with a typical installation only taking half day to a day depending on size to install. Also warm up times are generally a lot quicker than "wet" systems because the cables are installed directly below the finished flooring making it a direct acting heat source rather than a storage heater.

Electric systems are supplied in several different forms. They can be one long continuous length of cable with the consumer having to weave the cable up and down the floor at a pre–determined spacing and making a return loop to complete the circuit, or they can be provided in mat form, where the heating element is pre–formed in a mat that rolls out onto the floor. Most high voltage cables have a built in return, meaning that you have one end to connect. Most technologies consist of a loop with a start and end. With the introduction of the built in return came the “cable mat”. Cable mats have added to the ease of installing a floor heating system by having the heating cable already pre–spaced on to a nylon mesh. Cable mats however can cause issues for odd shaped spaces where a free rolled cable may be able to cover in a more custom pattern.

One technique is to lay the heating cable directly onto an insulated concrete floor and then apply tile on top of it. Where time–of–use electricity metering is available, this type of system can be turned on at night when electricity rates are low, and then allowed to warm the house during the day by relying on the heat energy held within the thermal mass of the concrete.

Sometimes, in order to minimize floor buildup, a bronze screen or a carbon film heating element is used. Carbon film systems are normally installed onto a thin insulation underlay (approx 6mm) to reduce thermal loss to the sub–floor. Carbon film is used under various floor finishes, traditionally laminate flooring or engineered wood. Vinyls, carpets and other "soft" floor finishes can be heated using carbon film elements or bronze screen elements, provided a suitable overboarding system is used.

In comparison to combustion/hydronic systems, electric systems can be more efficient, if only the efficiency of the equipment in the building is considered. However, the efficiency of generating electricity from fossil fuels is low. Electric systems however are either on or off and do not require idling times. Electric systems also have the advantage of needing no maintenance and can more easily be controlled to run when and where they are needed. However, electric underfloor heating systems cannot provide cooling in summer.

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