Whether you’re curious if a floor heating system would be suitable for your upcoming project or you’re ready to install a new system, understanding the importance of insulation with underfloor heating is important. In this in-depth article, we’ll look at the many reasons why you should install high-quality floor insulation with an underfloor heating system. You’ll discover:
- How insulation reduces heat loss in your home
- The ways in which insulation enhances the efficiency of floor heating
- How floor insulation can help save you money on your energy bills
- The ease of installing Warmup insulation
- How to buy floor insulation with your new heating system
What are the main benefits of installing insulation with floor heating?
Insulation is always recommended for installation with a new underfloor heating system as it helps to improve its performance in three key ways: helping to prevent heat loss in a property, enhancing the efficiency of the system, and helping to save money on energy bills.
We offer a range of insulation solutions for our electric heating systems which can be fitted directly onto the insulation board that best suits the heater being installed.
How insulation prevents heat loss
Just like the insulation within your walls and ceiling, floor insulation can prevent heat from escaping a home. Put simply, insulation keeps the heat produced by the floor heating system within the room. Without adequate insulation, the radiant warmth of underfloor heating can be lost downward into the ground or the space below the floor – meaning that the system will have to work harder and consume more energy to achieve your ideal room temperature.
Find out more about the ways to reduce heat loss in your home in our expert article.
The ways that insulation enhances the efficiency of underfloor heating
Good quality insulation helps to improve the responsiveness of your floor heating system. It can assist in producing faster heat-up times, allowing the system to reach the desired room temperature quicker and with more precision. Insulation also helps to maintain an even surface temperature across the floor, providing a more consistent and comfortable experience throughout the room, with no hot and cold spots. And, since your underfloor heating system doesn’t have to work as hard or operate as long to achieve an optimal heat output, it can experience less strain, helping to extend its lifespan too.
How insulation can save you money on your heating bills
By reducing heat loss in your home and improving a floor heating system’s performance, insulation helps keep your energy costs down. A well-insulated home won’t need its heating to be on as long or operate at as high a temperature as spaces featuring lower levels of insulation.
Our Ultralight Insulation Boards are ideal for use with many of our electric systems. They provide 50% more even heating and 30% faster heat up times than standard insulation boards, helping to dramatically reduce energy usage. It has been engineered with a four-layer construction method with an aluminum heat spreading layer and decoupling attributes for increased performance while also featuring soundproofing qualities. Using Ultralight with underfloor heating could save you up to $1/sq ft per year on your heating costs.
Want to find out more about reducing the running costs of your home? Read our blog post to discover everything you need to know.
Is floor insulation worth it?
Yes. Without proper insulation, your new underfloor heating system won’t perform at its best. The system will need to be on for longer periods of time to reach the desired temperature, increasing your energy usage and running costs. You could also experience more uneven heating, leaving certain areas of the floor warmer than others.
Adding floor insulation means that your underfloor heating system will heat up quicker while using less energy, since the system needs to be on at full power for a shorter period of time. The decreased energy usage will translate directly to your heating bill, saving you money.
It’s worth noting that the thicker the insulation, the better the heat retention – however, deeper layers of insulation can also raise the floor level, so you should calculate these dimensions during the planning stage of your project to make sure it won’t interfere with existing door levels, skirting boards, and other fixed objects.
What kind of insulation material is best for my new heating system?
Warmup’s range of insulation products provides a hassle-free installation by those qualified to work with underfloor heating.
Most of our electric systems are recommended to be installed alongside the Ultralight Insulation Boards. The Ultralight is a 4-in-1 Insulation Board that has insulation, heat-spreading, decoupling, and acoustic properties. It acts as a barrier that prevents heat from moving down to the subfloor, ensuring that no heat is lost and that all heat moves upwards instead. This increased heat retention helps reduce energy use and can save up to $1 per square foot per year. Due to the aluminum layer within the boards, the Ultralight successfully provides 50% more even heating and a 30% faster heat up time than standard insulation boards. Ultimately, when used with a radiant heating system, its high-yield heat performance improves comfort while reducing energy use and running costs.
If you’re specifying electric heating for softer floor finishes, then the Foil Heater is a great choice and should be fitted with a layer of Insulated Underlay. The Insulated Underlay is a thin polystyrene insulation barrier that increases heat retention while also having acoustic properties. Designed specifically for use with floating floor finishes, it helps increase the energy efficiency of your underfloor heating system by pushing heat upwards and eliminating heat loss. Additionally, the foil backing of the underlay acts as a moisture barrier, helping protect the floor finish from long-term moisture damage. When paired with the Foil Heater over flooring finishes such as hardwood and laminate, it effectively reduces energy output and heat waste.
Enhancing your Radiant Heating System with a Smart Thermostat
In addition to optimizing your underfloor heating system by installing floor insulation, you can also pair your heating system with Warmup’s 7iE Smart Matter Thermostat for more energy and cost saving benefits. The 7iE incorporates advanced Matter Technology, meaning that it can be used with all matter-compatible Smart Home devices and ecosystems, such as Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, and Google Home.
Additionally, the 7iE provides various energy and cost-saving features. Through the use of SmartGeo Technology, for instance, the 7iE can provide automatic warmth at the right temperature based on your home schedule. SmartGeo also takes into account weather conditions and the thermal characteristics of a given building to ensure that heat is never wasted. This high level of system automation and energy-conscious capabilities can reduce energy usage by up to 25%. It can also be used formulti-zone floor heating, allowing you to set desired temperatures corresponding to each heated area. By using the 7iE, the temperature of each room can be managed independently, with each space having its own automated and tailored schedule that matches your home routines and your energy-usage needs.
How do I buy Warmup insulation?
Ready to purchase underfloor heating? Our easy-to-use quoting tool will select the best system for your needs and suggest which insulation solution is right for you too. You can purchase our radiant floor heaters and their accompanying insulation boards at one of our many retail partners.
By installing insulation with your new heating system, you’ll ensure that it works at its most efficient while helping to reduce the cost of a property’s energy bills and providing a consistent sense of comfort throughout the space.
For more maintenance and installation tips, check out our YouTube channel.  For any questions or inquiries, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Customer Experience Team at ussales@warmup.com or (888) 927-6333. We’re happy to help with any of your radiant heating needs!
