Today there are many methods to heat a house or building. No longer do we have to depend on fireplaces or large central heating. And there are some new methods to more efficiently heat only a specific area within a house or building. One such way is by means of underfloor heating.
Underfloor heating or heating the floor of the specific area, can be achieved in two main ways. One way consists of using a system of heated underfloor water pipes and the other uses a system of electric underfloor cables. Out of these the electric cable heating which is referred in the United Kingdom as electric underfloor heating is the more preferred choice. The electric underfloor cables are made of non-corrosive materials that do not decay and fall apart over time. They also don’t leak water and cause other problems. In the United States they refer to this system as radiant floor heating.
These electric underfloor cables are usually run through a mesh mat before they are placed under the flooring. And it works best when a thin layer of cement is placed over them before installing the surface flooring material. This method of heating consumes around 15 watts per square foot normally, but that can differ from supplier to supplier or product to product.
The electric cable floor heating mesh is widely available in the market as rolls of mesh units. Using a few mesh units you can easily cover a specific area or an entire room. These heating mesh products are sold as rolls and do-it-yourself kits on the Internet and are easy to install but you have to get certified professional help when installing them in the United Kingdom.
This heating system is very nice to use as you can walk on warm floors but is not economical where electricity costs more than standard oil or natural gas heating. On the other hand it is a very efficient way to heat a specific area or room only.