If you’re considering installing electric underfloor heating in your home, then you’ve probably already asked yourself this common question: ‘Is electric underfloor heating expensive to run?’ Historically, it’s been seen as a costly luxury – but this isn’t always the case. Many homeowners are installing electric underfloor heating for its cost-saving, environmental and design benefits. In fact, it was the fourth most popular eco job posted on Rated People in 2020, according to The Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report: 2021.
Did you know? It costs less than 30p to heat an average sized bathroom in the UK (4.4m2) for 3 hours with electric underfloor heating.
Get to grips with the essentials of electric underfloor heating by reading the blog post put together by the team at ThermoSphere, below.
Let’s get some perspective on the cost of electric underfloor heating
To make a fair comparison, we looked at multiple articles and research findings online, and combined this with the knowledge of our resident experts.
The typical cost of running household appliances
| Appliance | Cost per year | Notes |
| Washing Machine | £29.30 | 0.15p per wash |
| Oven | £26.86 | Used for 90mins per week |
| Fridge Freezer | £32.56 | Less than 10p a day |
| Toaster | £9.77 | 0.267p per minute |
| Kettle | £45.58 | 12.49p per day (6 boils a day) |
| Electric Shower | £148.15 | 10p for a 5min shower |
| Dishwasher | £48.84 | 19.5p per cycle |
| Television | £42.33 | 3p per hour at 4 hours per day |
The typical cost of running electric underfloor heating
| Room | Cost per year | Notes |
| Bathroom | £24.64 | 4.67p per hour for 2.5m2 |
| Kitchen | £58.08 | 11p per hour for 5m2 |
| Living Room | £107.36 | 20.33p per hour for 10m2 |
Remember, an electric heating system could replace your traditional central heating system, so your heating costs won’t double.
From the comparison table, you can see that electric underfloor heating isn’t as expensive to run as many people think. So much so, that it’s cheaper to run electric underfloor heating than it is to run a washing machine, kettle, electric shower and many more appliances. Plus, if you have a well-insulated home, it costs less than the average takeaway coffee to run ThermoSphere electric underfloor heating in a 2m2 bathroom for a month, on average!
Want to find out how much it would cost to run electric underfloor heating in your home? Take a look at our Running Cost Calculator. It’ll give you a good estimation of the daily cost.
The next key consideration is insulation…
How insulation helps
You’ve decided to install electric underfloor heating. But how do you make it run as energy efficiently and effectively as possible? If you have insulation installed in your home, every penny you spend on heating will be converted into useable heat. Without it, some of the heat you’ve paid for will be lost through the sub floor below. Good insulation means shorter floor warm up times and reduced heat loss. That means the room will stay at your chosen temperature for longer, so you won’t need to keep your electric underfloor heating on for as long. That saves you money!
What’s the right insulation to use and what are the costs?
ThermoSphere insulation boards are lightweight and easy to cut with a craft knife, making installation incredibly fast. In addition, they’re 100% water and rot proof compared to plywood. ThermoSphere coated insulation boards also add strength and lateral stability to timber floors.
Extra considerations when buying electric underfloor heating
Next, you need a thermostat to gain more control over your heating. Using insulation and a thermostat together provides comfort and control, making your electric underfloor heating extremely efficient. With a wide variety of options at your fingertips, it can be hard to know what’s right for you. There are a range of thermostats available on the market.
What are the different types of thermostat?
- Manual – Basic functionality allowing on/off, temperature adjustment and built in ambient and floor sensors.
- Programmable – The same as Manual, but they automatically adjust the room temperature from programmed desired temperatures for set times.
- Dual Control – The same as programmable, but you can also control two heat sources from the one thermostat. ThermoSphere’s dual control thermostat is the only one of its type in the UK.
- Smart – The same as programmable but taken to the next level. It can track your energy usage and even identify how you can save more energy. Using this with a smart hub and an app gives you control of your heating from any location. Plus you can connect up to 100 thermostats, so everything can be controlled from one place. You can also connect it to your audio products like Amazon Alexa or Google Home.
- Bluetooth – Gives you everything a smart thermostat does, but with the added security of Bluetooth. This means you don’t need to be connected to the internet to use the app. Easy-to-use features allow you to set a schedule in under 60 seconds.
Find out more information about thermostats.
It’s all about electric!
Electricity is at the forefront of people’s minds. One reason for this is because of the government’s talks around using fossil fuel alternatives in homes, like electricity, in order to hit the UK’s net-zero CO2 emission targets. This includes banning gas boilers in all new builds by 2025.
CO2 emission factors for electricity have also been reduced in SAP 10 calculations, which is what is used to help form an EPC rating when you buy or sell a home. Find out more about SAP 10 and how it relates to EPC certificates in our quick guide to SAP 10.
Another reason for the growing interest in electricity is the fact that it’s being more renewably sourced. In 2019, more than a third of the electricity generated in the UK came from renewable sources, according to government research. 57% of homeowners want to be more eco-friendly in 2021, making electric underfloor heating a popular home improvement (The Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report: 2021).
Aside from its energy efficiency, one of the best benefits of electric underfloor heating is that it frees up floor space and enables design freedom for homeowners. The time to switch is now! If you have any questions about the best way to install an electric underfloor heating system, contact the ThermoSphere team or find a retailer close to you.
