Underfloor Heating — UK-Wide, Qualified & Priced Up Front
Wet underfloor heating — handled UK-wide by qualified, insured local engineers, with the price agreed before work starts and honest advice on what your system actually needs.
Where underfloor heating makes sense
Wet underfloor heating — warm water circulating through pipe loops beneath the floor — turns the whole floor into a gentle radiator. Its natural homes: new extensions and renovations where the floor is being built anyway, kitchens and bathrooms where wall space is precious, and any home planning a heat pump, because UFH's large surface area and low water temperatures are exactly what heat pumps are best at. The awkward case is retrofit into finished rooms, where floor build-up height and disruption drive cost; low-profile retrofit systems exist and are honestly assessed case by case.
The comfort argument is real — even warmth, no radiators claiming walls, warm floors underfoot — and the efficiency argument is conditional: UFH runs at low flow temperatures, which flatters condensing boilers and transforms heat pump performance, but a badly zoned or poorly insulated slab gives the heat to the ground instead of the room. Insulation beneath the pipe loops isn't a line item to trim; it's the difference between heating your kitchen and heating the earth.
Costs, control and installation
Cost bands: a single room added during renovation typically £800–£2,000 depending on size and floor construction; whole-ground-floor installations in new screeds £2,500–£6,000 including manifolds, controls and commissioning. Each zone gets its own thermostat, and the manifold balances flow between loops. Retrofit low-profile systems price per room similarly but add floor-height decisions your survey resolves. In every case the quote follows a look at the actual floor construction, because that — timber, screed, existing height — is what drives the method and the money.
Installation sequencing matters: insulation down, pipe loops fixed to the design pattern, connection to the manifold, pressure test before any screed or boards close over the pipe (non-negotiable — finding a weep after the floor is finished is misery), then screed cure time respected before the system heats gently through its first commissioning ramp. Paired with a boiler it runs on a mixing arrangement at lower temperature; paired with a heat pump it simply runs at the pump's natural temperature, which is why the two technologies get specified together so often.
| Item | Guide |
|---|---|
| Typical price band | £800–£6,000 |
| Pricing basis | surveyed quote; band spans single-room retrofit to whole-floor new screed |
| Typical timescale | 1–2 hours |
| Funnel | Fixed quote after survey |
| Credentials | Qualified heating engineer |
Frequently asked questions
Can underfloor heating be retrofitted?
Yes — low-profile systems add modest floor height and suit renovations; full screed systems suit extensions and new floors. The survey looks at your actual floor construction and tells you the method, the height change and the honest cost before you commit.
Is underfloor heating expensive to run?
Run at its design temperatures with proper insulation beneath, it's efficient — especially on condensing boilers and heat pumps that thrive at low flow temperatures. Costs go wrong when insulation is skimped or zones are left running like radiators. Design and controls decide the bill.
Does UFH work under wooden floors and tiles?
Both — tiles are ideal conductors; engineered wood works within manufacturer temperature limits; thick carpets blunt output and need accounting for in the design. Floor covering is a design input, so tell the surveyor what's planned.
Can I mix radiators upstairs with UFH downstairs?
Very common and entirely sensible — the system runs two circuits at different temperatures via the manifold and mixing controls. It's the default pattern for renovations and works with boilers and heat pumps alike.