Is the luxury of under-floor heating out of the question, if you’re working to a budget? Even if it’s just for one room? We are doing up an old cottage. I’ve always wanted electric under-floor heating in the bathroom – but we hear it’s really expensive to install and run. Is that right? We are not well off.
If you are upgrading your bathroom and tearing up the old floor covering anyway, now is the most cost-efficient time to install electric under-floor heating. There is no doubt that this method, such as an electric heat mat, is an effective, but potentially expensive option.
But if you want it only for your bathroom, you can manage that cost. For example, you can turn it off right through the warmer months, and run it only from April to October. And with a wall thermostat, you can turn the heating off during the day when you are dressed and not using the bathroom so much. You may even decide that the only time you need the heating on is when you get up in the morning. Time the heating to start warming up the room at 4am, and turn off again at 8am. It is important to have good under-floor insulation, otherwise heat will be lost under the house.
But be sure to get an experienced professional to do the job, including laying whatever floor covering is going on top of it. The last thing you want is to discover a problem with the heating after the floor covering has gone down. But in short, yes. Go on. Do it.
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