The following fact about floor heating is relatively unknown: the installation of this type of heating makes the building insurance more expensive, since this increases the property value as well as the risk of a major water damage. However, the surcharge is normally limited, the energy savings are much higher. In order to determine whether your floor heating is financially worthwhile in your case, however, there are some other aspects to consider.
The floor heating scores with low operating costs
Underfloor heating, as the name suggests, uses the floor as an effective heating surface. The result is not only a particularly comfortable room climate, but this type of heating also saves a lot of energy. This was recognized by the ancient Romans, who liked to fill their floors with cavities, to fill them with hot smoke: In ancient times, well-to-do citizens could look forward to warm feet and rooms.
The flow temperature of a floor heating is a lot lower than that of the usual heating elements: the water used must not be so hot in the meantime, so a considerable energy saving is already achieved. In addition, you can set the room temperature two or three degrees lower, because the pleasant radiant heat of your floor matches the difference lcoker. This way, you save not only running costs, but you also protect the environment!
Further costs and eco-components in connection with alternative energy
Another ecological benefit is that you can connect your underfloor heating to an alternative energy source, which is often not the case with a normal heating system. The low flow temperatures fit very well to a heat pump or to solar cells, which in turn cause them hardly any costs during operation. This is the second time that the circle of ecological and price advantages is closed.
In conjunction with a heat pump, the underfloor heating system even gets hotter on hot summer even in the air conditioning system, and at such a low cost that regular air-conditioning systems are completely knocked out of the race. Above all, in the attic, which is often heated up disproportionately by the sun, such a system can be of great use.
Facts on the table: Which cost factors determine the price?
With all the facts mentioned, it is hardly surprising that an increasing number of home owners opt for a floor heating system. Builders are almost 50% optimizing their new buildings with this comfortable heating system, but more and more old buildings also benefit from the advantages of an integrated floor heating system.
Tip: Are you planning to retrofit an older property with underfloor heating? Then the installation costs are added to the preparation of the existing floor – depending on the building situation, this can be quite cost-effective, but also quite expensive. If, for example, you want to cover an older wooden beam ceiling with a surface heating system, you first need a structural engineer, then a stabilizing formwork with insulation and, finally, a high-quality heating screed.
The final price for the installation of a floor heating system including material is based on various factors which we would like to mention here:
- Which type of heating would you like to install: wet heating, dry-floor heating or floor heating with heating mats?
- How many heating circuits and manifolds does the system require?
- How is your floor heating to be controlled (digital / analog / single room)?
- What kind of heating pipes do you want – and how many meters are needed?
- What type of sound and thermal insulation should be integrated?
These cost factors are particularly significant: Floor heating always consists of a complex system with different variables. Depending on the requirements and requirements, these variables can be modified, so that at the end quite different end prices come out. In addition, there is still the question of how much of the work the builder himself assumes, since this means that the costs can still be reduced quite a bit.
Tip: Ask your heating engineer what work you can take as a layman. For example, it is a good idea to carry out the drillings for pipes which are still to be laid by hand or to carry out screed formwork or preparatory insulation. After some professional training you can do some things!
Special prices: Pay for floor heating
If you are currently planning a new building, ask for a floor heating of about 30 to 60 EUR per square meter. This includes both assembly and comfortable single-space control, which allows you to keep your energy as best as possible. From this final price, the customer’s own contribution, if any, must still be deducted, so that the costs can be reduced.
If your heating company is looking for particularly low square meter prices, then caution is called for : inquire exactly which materials and work are included in these costs – and what else can be done. The low-cost offer can not be held if all components are included. However, a thorough examination is also necessary if the cost estimate is in the normal range, so that no financial surprises await you at the end.
As already indicated above, the retrofitting of a floor heating system is often combined with additional work, which serves to prepare the floor in a suitable manner. Old linings must be removed, the substrate checked and possibly rebuilt. Sometimes problems arise with regard to the height of the floor, because underfloor heating is naturally a few centimeters in height. The harmonization of the ground heights can therefore cause additional costs, but there is rarely any way to integrate a floor heating system without dangerous tripping edges.
The heating system itself, on the other hand, does not incur any additional costs in the normal case; the thin-bed heaters often used in the old building cost roughly the same as the underfloor heating systems of the new buildings.
What is the cost of a flooring suitable for underfloor heating?
How is it actually with the flooring, does not it with floor heating not significantly more expensive? In this question, we can reassure you that there are now quite cheap laminate and vinyl floors on the market that are compatible with underfloor heating. The costs for high-quality pavements of these varieties are about 20 to 40 EUR per square meter, but there are even cheaper soils. It is important to look for any harmful substances that may be present, in order not to pay the cheaper price with a damaged health: Vinyl in particular often contains softeners and other dubious substances that can escape unhindered when heated.
Tip: Do not lay your laminate or PVC in a floating condition when there is underfloor heating. The resulting cavity serves as an insulation pad for the heat coming out! Use a suitable full-surface adhesive.