UNDERFLOOR heating can be a godsend during the colder days, but how much does it cost to run?
During the winter months, households might consider turning their underfloor heating on.
Underfloor heating could add more to your energy billPA
It is a form of central heating and warms up the house from under the floor.
Many households have underfloor heating in kitchens or bathrooms – where the floors are non-carpeted.
But it can be a costly expense and those who have it, or are thinking of getting it installed, will want to take note of the costs.
The price cap is also changing – it is currently £2,074 a year on average, but will fall to £1,923 from October 1.
While this is good news for households, prices still remain very high.
How much does underfloor heating cost to run?
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch, said: “Underfloor heating can be a more energy-efficient alternative to radiators, but households will have to consider the cost of installation to see if it’s a worthwhile change.
“Radiators have to reach a high temperature to warm up the air in the room.
“Underfloor heating requires much lower temperatures to work, which means using less energy overall.”
Ben explained that there are two types of underfloor heating – wet systems which pump heated water through pipes under the floor and dry versions that use electric heating wires.
He said: “A dry system uses 150 watts to heat a square metre, so a typical bedroom might require 900W.
“If the heating is on for 12 hours a day, this would cost 27p a day now, and just under 25p from October 1.”
“The wet version is estimated to be about 25% more efficient than running a radiator, but exact savings are hard to calculate as the boiler provides the whole home’s hot water and heating.”
If you have the wet version, then you might want to figure out how much heating and hot water you use before underfloor heating and then watch out for extra costs once you’ve turned it on.
How else can I cut costs?
If you’re able to, drying clothes and other items outside will help cut costs.
If this isn’t an option for you, an indoor airer or even a heated airer will still work out a lot cheaper.
Turning your thermostat down by just one degree can be another easy way to save £100 a year.
Setting up draught excluders around your home to block out any unwanted cool air is a cheap solution to slash your energy bills.
It means you could spend as little as £3, which could save you £200 on bills in the long run.
Over 10.7million households can save an average of £112 a year by changing the temperatures on their combination boilers.
Households are being urged to check just how much they can save on their energy bills with a simple flick of a button.
If households were to drop this temperature to 60°C they could slash their gas consumption by 9% – saving households over £100 a year.
For lots more ways to save, read our full guide of energy tips which could slash your bills.
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