Underfloor heating with a wee difference question

[jh72i]

Hi folks, been reading through the underfloor heating posts and just not finding an answer to my particular ponderings.

Looking to buy a house in a cold climate where ground floor underfloor heating is now the norm. Thing is, this house is a wee bit older and doesn't have this feature. I was wondering what my options are...

the downstairs is mostly old and worn wooden flooring. I was already thinking that I'd renew the floor and possibly by simply installing new wooden floorring straight over the old. I was then wondering if it would be possible to install underfloor heating mats in this kind of a set up. Of course then I wondered if mats are an efficient way to go at all given that the heat would likely be on all winter?

Any thoughts?

 

[P.Ranks]

A non runner I'd say. Mats are heated using electricity, and for such an application, it would be wildly inefficient.
UFH is generally done by running hot water through pipes in a concrete or similar floor.
You could consider this option maybe.

 

[jh72i]

Thanks for that reply. The one thing about this country is that electricity is cheap (nuclear) but I can see that mats probably would not be the most efficient route. Just looking for a less destructive solution - i.e. not having to rip up the floors, etc.

 

[joejoe]

Thanks for that reply. The one thing about this country is that electricity is cheap (nuclear) but I can see that mats probably would not be the most efficient route. Just looking for a less destructive solution - i.e. not having to rip up the floors, etc.

If the house is so old, I would question if you are at all allowed to take up the existing floors. You might check in the mayors office or equlivent.

Joejoe

 

[jh72i]

Hi Joejoe, it's not that old - just 80's. All new houses are built with UFH on the ground floor these days.

 

[galwaytt]

If it's Norway - which I have relations in, I've seen timber floors with electric ufh put in, and the ofch pulled out and dumped. And in a 100 yr old house.

Apparently the electricity is so cheap, they dump it in winter, and ofch is not competitive - this is interesting, considering that the State owns a big % (not sure how much) of Statoil............