Are There Any Downsides To Underfloor Heating?
Underfloor heating systems seem to be the best solution to heating a room; they are environmentally friendly and more cost effective than heating a room with the more traditional radiator systems. So are they really too good to be true or are there some downsides?
There is one downside relating to performance, but this can be got round by making small changes to heating habits. The problem is the time it takes to get the house warm. This is not an instant heat system and it does take over half an hour to warm up, which is obviously a pain if you are really cold. However this can be overcome by making sure you use a timer system and ensuring that you get the system to turn on at least thirty minutes before it is needed. Set the system to turn on well before anyone is likely to get out of bed in the morning and the problem is neatly avoided.
The only other downside and perhaps the reason why underfloor heating systems are not installed as standard in lots of new build developments, is the cost. On paper, when compared with a traditional central heating radiator system, this option is significantly more expensive, so developers are not going to install it. For the occupant of the house it is cheaper to run and maintain, but unless you are the one paying to have the system put in, you are unlikely to find them as standard.
