Floor Heating: How Does It Work and How Is It Controlled?

Floor heating is becoming increasingly popular and is now standard in low-energy new buildings. Find out the advantages of this type of heating and how to properly regulate it.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Floor Heating

Floor heating is heating located under the floor. It can be either water-based or electric. Water-based heating has lower operating costs, but it requires raising the floor level and, if installed on an upper floor, accounting for the load on the ceiling structure. Electric floor heating has a lower initial cost but incurs higher energy expenses.

The main advantages of floor heating include:

Thermal comfort: Floor heating evenly heats large rooms. The radiant heat from the floor also feels very comfortable. Additionally, floor heating ensures optimal humidity and lower dust levels in the interior, which is especially beneficial for allergy sufferers.
Space saving: With floor heating, you won't have unsightly radiators that are also difficult to clean in your apartment. This is an advantage not only in terms of space functionality but also interior design.
Lower energy consumption: With floor heating, you can maintain a temperature that is 1-2 degrees lower than with radiators without losing the desired thermal comfort. This significantly saves on energy costs.

Floor heating evenly heats even large rooms

And what are the disadvantages of floor heating? It is necessary to consider the installation of this type of heating in advance and adapt the type of flooring and heating source to it. Additionally, it is not recommended to place large pieces of furniture on floor heating, so think about the room layout in advance. Floor heating is not suitable for uninsulated buildings.

The heating source must be low-temperature, to prevent overheating of the system. An ideal source is a heat pump or a gas condensing boiler, while solid fuel boilers are unsuitable.
The floor should have a low thermal resistance. Tiles have the best properties for floor heating. Other types of flooring (linoleum, vinyl, parquet, carpets, laminate, etc.) can also be used with floor heating, but it is necessary to ensure they have the appropriate certification for floor heating. Floor heating is not suitable under high carpets and solid wood floors.

Specifics of Floor Heating Control

Floor heating can be regulated by thermostats. In practice, sometimes weather-compensated control is installed in combination with a thermostat. Thermostats for floor heating are specific and not just any thermostat can be chosen.

When setting the thermostat, it is necessary to take into account the large thermal inertia of floor heating, i.e., its slow response. This means it takes a longer time for the room to heat up, but it also cools down slowly. Therefore, it is not advisable to set frequent and large temperature changes.

As we have already mentioned above, with floor heating you can make do with lower temperatures. Set 20 °C in the living and children's rooms, 16 °C in the bedroom, and 22 °C in the bathroom. Even lower temperatures around 15 °C are sufficient in the kitchen, hallway, and utility room.

How to Choose a Room Thermostat for Floor Heating

The basic parameter is the size of the property, the number of loops in the floor heating, and the number of rooms designated for heating. Based on this, choose the corresponding number of thermal actuators and thermostats. The temperature in each zone can then be controlled separately.

Control can be either via a dial or a touchscreen. Modern WiFi thermostats for floor heating can be remotely controlled using a mobile app or even a voice assistant.

Smart thermostats come with a range of features that optimize the operation of the heating system and energy consumption. For example, setting a timing program allows for fully automated heating operation based on your regular daily and weekly routine. Some models, such as Danfoss Icon2, also take into account the time needed to heat up and cool down the floor heating, thereby increasing comfort.

Smart Floor Heating Danfoss Icon

Floor Heating Maintenance

In the case of quality floor heating and professional installation, this type of heating is completely maintenance-free. Likewise, the thermostat does not require maintenance. Floor heating is quite demanding for installation, you can use one of the installation partners. We also recommend getting an emergency safety thermostat for floor heating.

If you have water-based floor heating, don't forget about the boiler maintenance. The boiler needs to be professionally checked and cleaned regularly; this obligation is imposed by law. The circulation pump for floor heating can be protected from clogging by the installation of a magnetic filter.

Choose a suitable smart floor heating system