Underfloor heating

We design and install warm-water underfloor heating and then lay the screed over it ourselves. That is the part most jobs get wrong: the heating goes in from one trade, the screed from another, and when the floor fails, each of them blames the other.

Designed, not just installed

Centre Parcs did not ask us to lay a floor. They asked us to design one, write the specification for it, and prove it on five prototype lodges before committing it to several hundred. That is the level the design side of this runs at — pipe centres worked out against the heat loss of the room, the screed depth chosen for the response time the client wants, and the whole thing written down so anyone can build it.

What it works with

Any heat source — heat pump, gas, biomass, solar thermal
Any finish — tile, stone, engineered timber, vinyl, carpet to the right tog
New build and renovation, ground floor or upper floors
Pressure tested before the screed goes anywhere near it, and again after

Questions we get asked

Does it work with a heat pump?

It is the best emitter there is for one. A heat pump runs at a low flow temperature and needs a large surface to give up heat; the floor is the largest surface in the building. The pipe centres and the screed depth are what decide whether it performs.

Can we have any floor finish over it?

Tile and stone are the best conductors. Engineered timber, vinyl and carpet all work provided the total tog is within the system design — carpet and underlay together are where people usually get caught out.

How long does it take to warm up?

Response time is a function of screed depth. A thinner screed responds faster and holds less; a thicker one is slower and steadier. Neither is wrong — it depends on whether the building is heated continuously or in bursts, which is a design decision we will make with you.

Who does the plumbing side?

We install the pipework and the manifold and pressure test it. Connection to the heat source is normally the mechanical contractor, and we will work to their design or produce one.