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Should Underfloor Heating Be On All The Time?

Is it better to have underfloor heating on all the time? Is underfloor heating more efficient to heat your home at set periods of the day? The answer is neither. Underfloor heating shouldn’t be on all the time, because efficient underfloor heating doesn’t need to be. Rather, heating allowed to automatically turn on to maintain a specific temperature is the best solution. Read on, and we’ll explain why this is the case.

The Benefit of “Always On” Underfloor Heating

The underfloor heating shouldn’t literally be always on, rather it should maintain a consistent “base temperature” that you have set on your thermostat. You then rely on the thermostat to turn on the heating only when it drops below the base temperature.

This has shown to be a more efficient underfloor heating methodology than turning the heating on once in the morning and evening. And it is certainly more efficient than having the heating on 24/7. Heating the home by 1 degrees Celsius requires less time and less power than heating the home from a colder temperature.

How Underfloor Heating Works

Wet underfloor heating distributes hot water through pipes across several networks or “zones”, each with their own thermostat. The zone thermostat sends a signal to the manifold, which fine-tunes how much hot water – if any – the zone receives. When the desired temperature is reached, the zone sends another signal to the manifold that it no longer needs hot water. The floor of the zone may still feel warm for a while afterwards, due to heat still stored in the floor screed.

This is one of the superior benefits of underfloor heating, it will only turn on and heat rooms that actually need it. Rooms that are naturally warm for long periods of time won’t demand hot water, reducing the energy demand when the heating is on, saving you money on your energy bill.

Should I Leave the Heating on in Summer?

Naturally, if summer is going to be warm, you won’t need to heat the home to a base temperature. That said, if you want to keep efficient underfloor heating, you should turn it on occasionally for an hour once every few weeks. This prevents air locks, and helps you detect any issues that would be a pain to fix in Winter when you need your heating the most.

Why is My Underfloor Heating System on All The Time?

If you notice that your boiler or heat pump is constantly running, even above freezing temperatures, this is indicative of an issue in your home. There may be an issue with the thermostats, the manifold, or a part of the pipe network. Our guide to common underfloor heating problems may help diagnose issues causing your heating to be inefficient.

The issue may also be with the heat source itself, such as a malfunctioning internal thermostat or improper calibration. Have your heat source inspected by a qualified professional, and they will be able to diagnose and fix the issue.

If the whole heating system is working perfectly fine, the issue may be with excessive heat loss in the home. If you installed your underfloor heating system without thermal insulation and floor screed, there will be a significant amount of heat loss in that area. Otherwise investing in wall/loft insulation or double glazing can help prevent heat loss.