Going green from the ground up: 5 Benefits of underfloor heating for sustainable buildings
Underfloor heating is proven to be an efficient and environmentally friendly choice. The preferred sustainable option for new buildings and refurbishment developments.
Gerry Shephard, Business Development Manager at Ambiente, highlights 5 reasons why underfloor heating systems tick all the right boxes when creating sustainable buildings.
Efficient UFH – How low can it go?
By its very nature, underfloor heating addresses the upcoming requirements to specify low temperature systems into new build properties – and it’s best practice to follow this advice for retrofit projects too, as it brings many benefits in addition to increased efficiency. As underfloor heating covers a much greater surface area than radiators, it can be left to run at a lower temperature of 35°C rather than 80°C, 24 hours a day for maximum efficiency. In turn, the system doesn’t have to work as hard – therefore using less energy as there’s less heat, making it up to 50% more efficient than an equivalent radiator system. There’s also less heat to ‘leak’ out of a building too, further reducing the system’s impact on the planet.
Future Proof UFH – Ready for Renewables
Fully future proof, underfloor heating is designed to be paired with efficient heat sources such as ground source and air source heat pumps, plus solar thermal systems. These renewable heat sources typically produce much lower flow temperatures than a standard gas or oil boiler. As such, traditional radiator systems are usually a no-go as the radiator size would have to increase, taking up even more wall space and increasing build costs. In order for heat pumps to work at their most efficient (COP) level they need to run at 35°C – 45°C, which is something that only underfloor heating can perfectly support. As with the previous point, lower flow temperatures = savings on energy and overall heating costs. A win win.
Eco Underfloor Heating Systems – Getting into the zone
One of the key parts of any underfloor heating system is zoning and controls. Heating a room that isn’t being used is a waste of energy, and the fact that underfloor heating can be fully zoned makes all the difference when it comes to boosting a property’s environmental credentials. Ensuring no energy is wasted, each zone can be controlled individually from a central thermostat, or even via a smartphone app. Customers transitioning from traditional radiator systems to underfloor heating may need some extra guidance in terms of the heating behaviour, as radiators can be warm in a matter of minutes, whereas UFH within a screed floor can take up to an hour to warm up. To maximise comfort and efficiency, an underfloor heating system should be left running constantly at a comfortable level.
Underfloor Heating Pipe – Green from the core
With traditional radiators only expected to last for around 10 – 15 years – as well as being less efficient than underfloor heating when in situ – once decommissioned, they become a waste product in a relatively short space of time. Whereas, good quality underfloor heating pipe, such as ours, which is made from superior quality, sustainable PERT (polyethylene of raised temperature resistance), is built to last. Ambiente pipe comes with a 75-year guarantee, to provide homeowners and installers with additional reassurance that it will likely outlive the lifetime of the building. When it comes to any leftover pipe post-installation, as PERT is a sustainable material, it can also be melted down safely and reused.
Sustainable UFH – Stepping up sustainability
In addition to the many benefits an underfloor heating system offers once installed, even before it reaches the site, it has already worked hard to reduce its impact on the planet. Size and weight wise, an underfloor heating system for an entire house is far less than a radiator, or sometimes even two, for every single room. As such, the lower density of underfloor heating system materials creates a lower freight impact and far less packaging than radiators, which are often surrounded with hard to recycle polystyrene and plastic wrapping to keep them protected. In addition, by opting for a low-profile underfloor heating system in a new build property, up to 40mm reduction can be achieved on the total build height. This may not sound like a lot, but really adds up when looking at the reduction of build materials required and being more sustainable overall. Yet another way underfloor heating is the sustainable choice for new buildings.
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Read our article on renewable energy and UFH
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If you would like a quote for an upcoming project please email info@ambienteufh.co.uk or call 01707 649 118 to discuss your requirements
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