The cost of electric underfloor heating can be subdivided into three: cost of buying the associated equipment, the installation cost and the running cost.
The buying cost will mainly depend on the size of the space to be heated. The buying price will also depend on the brand and model of the heaters and the auxiliary equipment you buy. For a 120 square feet coverage, it may range between $900.00 – $1500.00 with a consumption 0f 15 Watts per square foot.
Cost of installation depends on whether you are installing it in a new building or in an existing building. It also depends on the size of the room and whether you will install it yourself or hire a company to install it. Hiring a company will cost you about $475 per day. Installing the system by your self may save on installation cost, but it is always advisable to employ a certified company for safety and quality workmanship. However, if you are patient and skilled, you may decide to save money buy installing it on your own.
Installing this system in a new building is normally cheaper and easier than installing in an existing building. This is because the necessary fittings can be integrated into your flooring plans for easy wiring and installation. Installation in an existing building is quite expensive because of the flooring work done to pave way for the wiring. Yet compared to wet underfloor heating systems, electrical system installation cost is relatively low because the flooring work involved is not very extensive.
Running costs will depend on a number of factors including room size, running time, how well the room is insulated, the cost of electricity per kilowatt hour (KWH) in your area and the desired temperature.
A big room will obviously cost more to heat. The running cost therefore increases with the increase in room size. This includes both the length and height of the room. The consumption is about 0.2KW per hour per square meter for the surface area. You can easily use this consumption to estimate the running cost depending on the electricity charges in your area.
During the heating phase, the heat runs at full power until the floor reaches the preset temperature. After this period, the heater should run at half power to maintain the preset temperature. This means that the faster the floor heats up, the cheaper the running cost. It is therefore advisable to properly insulate your floor to reduce the running costs. A properly insulated room could cost as low as $17.00 per square meter per annum for full room heating. This is based on a 200 watt per square meter system running for 210 days in a year and eight hours in one day with power supply taking place 35% of the time. This may change due to fluctuations in cost of electricity.
The required temperature is also a major factor that affects the running cost. The higher the set temperature, the higher the running cost. A preset room temperature of 20 degrees Celsius allows efficient running of the system but temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius increases the running costs disproportionally.
There are many energy saving features that you can use to minimize the costs. Using a thermostat for each room will greatly reduce the cost. Set the target room temperature for each room depending on the room’s requirements. Utilize the timer in your control panel to avoid unnecessary heating of rooms.
