Low Energy Heating – What is it & how does it work?
Share
UKWarmfloor is a low energy, complete central heating system connected to mains electricity via a transformer and it can even be run on solar or wind power. It can be used as a primary source alternative to conventional heating systems or as a supplementary source of heat.
Low voltage, absolutely no maintenance costs and the energy efficiencies arising from the self-regulating element make it the system with the lowest energy use on the market today; at least 30% more efficient than cable and hydronic systems and up to 60% more efficient than forced air systems. UkWarmfloor runs at 40 watts per m/2 compared with 100w per m² for our nearest competitor.
What is it?
The heating elements are partly made from carbon impregnated recycled car tyres and specifically composed to employ a PTC effect to self regulate over the whole floor surface at 26C. The mats are very durable and the body of the mat can even be stapled or nailed through with no effect on efficiency or performance. This allows even for drainage pipes or electrical cabling to be routed straight through the middle of the heating element. Unlike other underfloor heating systems this makes installation very easy and suitable for a variety of situations – not only on floors, but also in walls or ceilings, or fixed from below to existing floorboards.
It can be used with almost any floor coverings because there are no “hotspots” as with other systems, and the whole thing runs safely on only 24v (covered by the Extra Low Voltage Regulations). It is completely safe to use in bathrooms and wetrooms and because it is low-voltage can even be used directly beneath carpet or vinyl. It is also ideal for natural wood or engineered wood floors because of the regularity and evenly distributed temperature- there are no expansion or contraction problems to cause distortion or rippling due to extremes of heat.
How is it installed?
Easily installed in almost any situation – under carpet, beneath screed, embedded in resin, stapled below floorboards or to walls or ceilings, the system is completely adaptable to almost any situation – even used in tree houses or to keep metal decking ice free on Arctic trawlers!
We supply an insulation and reflective board with our heating element which we fit on the floor beneath the actual heating element. This comes in 2 thicknesses; 6mm, which we recommend for concrete or poorly insulated floors and 3mm which is the absolute minimum. This is required basically to act as a thermal reflector, ensuring that the produced heat is directed upward into the room rather than lost downward or laterally to the subfloor. floors.
The actual heating element is only 1.2 mm thick and when combined with the insulation boards at 3mm and 6mm take the thickness to only 4.2mm or 7.2mm-a plus factor in retro fit areas where there isn’t much spare height capacity in the room.
The insulation board can be supplied as a stand-alone system and can be used on walls and ceilings in any situation to offer extra insulation.
https://www.ukwarmfloor.com/kapron-insulation.php
Here are some links to further information which you may find helpful.
https://www.ukwarmfloor.com/resources/installation%20manual%202016.pdf
https://www.ukwarmfloor.com/resources/product%20info%20web.pdf
and here is a link to a video that one of our customers made for us whilst installing his own floor.
What are the advantages?
The main points which make our heating system unique are:
- – It is thin. The elements are approx 1mm thick, so can be installed with minimum effect on floor levels.
- – It spreads the heat across the entire floor surface evenly. Unlike wired systems, our carbon polymer elements actually conduct the electricity throughout the whole of the element, which means that the entire surface of the floor is heated equally, not just hot strips with heat spreading from them. This makes for better cost efficiency and is great for wood floors as it means that the wood is heated evenly across the whole floor without hot or cold spots, reducing expansion problems.
- It automatically maintains a constant temperature, whatever happens. Because the element is made of an intelligent plastic which automatically regulates current flow within itself at the molecular level, the entire floor is maintained at a set temperature at all times. Once again- this is great for energy efficiency, and even better for wood flooring.
- It can be nailed or screwed through the main body of the mat, or even pierced by pipes or cables with no effect on performance. Because the carbon element conducts current throughout its entirety it can be stapled, nailed or screwed through without affecting the performance of the system. It saves time, hassle and the risk of damage during installation and gives peace of mind throughout the life of the system that it will be reliable whatever happens.
In addition to those specific advantages, we do have one huge advantage, and that’s the one which has made us market leaders in our native Scandinavia.
The combination of a low voltage system, running at 30-40 watts per m/2 ( 70 watts per m² on start-up for a millisecond), with the energy-efficiences afforded by the self-regulating system, the fact that the entire surface of the element is heated and the system has no maintenance costs whatsoever, all combine to make it the system with the lowest energy use on the market today.The product was developed in Norway some 24 years ago to meet the demands of an environmentally friendly market. Since we started selling the system here in the UK some 4 years ago we have exhibited at major shows; Grand Designs London & Birmingham, Home Building and Renovating Show, 100%Design, The EcoTechnology Show and others where the product has been met with great interest and enthusiasm, to the point where it is fast becoming established in the UK construction market.
