Contemplating photo voltaic powered underfloor heating as a technique of retaining your house heat and cushty? There are a number of issues to keep in mind earlier than taking the plunge.

Whereas each underfloor heating and lots of strategies of harnessing the facility of the solar to make use of as vitality are each unbelievable concepts, they do not essentially at all times produce the outcomes individuals anticipate when mixed.

We reached out to the specialists to search out out precisely what is supposed by photo voltaic powered underfloor heating, what the professionals and cons of those sorts of programs are and whether or not there are any, more practical, alternate options.

What’s photo voltaic powered underfloor heating?

Earlier than delving into the advantages and downsides of solar-powered underfloor heating, you will need to clarify precisely what it truly is.

“Folks typically ask about solar-powered underfloor heating, prefer it’s a product you possibly can exit and purchase. In actuality, it’s simply commonplace electrical underfloor heating being powered by photo voltaic panels in your roof,” reveals Martyn Fowler, founding father of Elite Renewables.

“The heating system itself stays the identical. It’s the electrical energy supply that modifications,” continues Martyn. “If you happen to’ve obtained photo voltaic panels producing electrical energy, that energy can run the underfloor heating system. So sure, in that sense, you’re utilizing solar energy to warmth your house.”

Martyn Fowler

Founding father of Elite Renewables, Martyn Fowler is without doubt one of the UK’s main renewable know-how specialists, working with warmth pumps for the final twenty years. His ardour for decarbonisation matched with a deep technical expertise of the know-how make him one of many trade’s go-to specialists for all issues renewable.

What are the advantages of solar-powered underfloor heating?

By combining photo voltaic panels and underfloor heating, there are a number of advantages available, though this very a lot is dependent upon the kind of home you reside in.

“This set-up works greatest in properties which are already effectively insulated,” explains Martyn Fowler. “If warmth is escaping by means of the partitions, roof or flooring, the system received’t be as environment friendly.”

Martyn goes on to elucidate the opposite benefits to this sort of set-up.

“Electrical underfloor heating could be costly to run on grid electrical energy alone,” says Martyn. “If you happen to’re producing your individual vitality, you possibly can decrease these operating prices. It additionally makes your house extra self-sufficient and reduces carbon emissions.”

electric underfloor heating mat during installation

Electrical underfloor could be costly to run in comparison with moist programs and photo voltaic panels might help cut back prices a little bit (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)

What are the disadvantages of solar-powered UFH?

Regardless of providing some benefits to householders, solar-powered UFH shouldn’t be with out its downsides.

“The principle challenge is timing – you have a tendency to wish heating early within the morning and within the night, when photo voltaic panels aren’t producing a lot electrical energy,” factors out Martyn Fowler. “That’s why we advocate putting in a house battery as a part of the system. It shops vitality from the day so you need to use it later while you want it.

“Some individuals additionally cost their battery in a single day on cheaper off-peak tariffs. That saved vitality can then be used through the day, when electrical energy costs are increased.”

There’s additionally the truth that, through the winter, photo voltaic panels alone are extremely unlikely to generate sufficient energy (round 1kWh the truth is), which means you have to an extra supply, corresponding to an air supply warmth pump or fuel boiler anyway.

Are you able to solar energy moist underfloor heating?

To this point we have solely mentioned utilizing solar energy for electrical underfloor heating, however what in order for you a moist system?

On this case, it’s higher to view photo voltaic panels as an extra supply of energy versus one that can run the entire system. Your photo voltaic panels may, for instance, contribute to the day-to-day operating of your warmth pump which might, in flip, energy your underfloor heating.

The specialists we spoke to felt that on this case, a fuel boiler or a warmth pump, mixed with and partially powered by, photo voltaic panels could be the simplest resolution.

wet underfloor heating installation

Photo voltaic panels alone should not adequate to energy a moist underfloor heating system (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)

Are you able to get monetary savings with solar-powered underfloor heating?

One of many fundamental causes individuals think about using photo voltaic panels to energy their underfloor heating is to economize – however what, if any, financial savings can householders anticipate by taking this route?

“Electrical underfloor heating normally begins from round £1,500. It is dependent upon the scale of the area and the kind of system you select,” says Martyn Fowler. “It’s typically cheaper to put in than a moist system however costlier to run with out photo voltaic.

“If you happen to’re additionally including photo voltaic panels, the total set-up may cost £6,000 or extra,” continues Martyn. “However should you’re already planning on putting in photo voltaic or a significant renovation, it is sensible to incorporate underfloor heating. It helps you get extra worth from the vitality you generate and cuts down your reliance on the grid.”

“Electrical underfloor heating runs at near 100%. That sounds spectacular, and is best than a contemporary fuel or oil boiler (sometimes 89%) however the issue is that, except you’re shopping for on a time-of-use tariff on the proper time, electrical energy is about 4 occasions the worth of fuel or oil per unit of warmth output,” picks up Simon Bones, CEO at Genous.

“Offered you’re on an acceptable tariff, each unit of electrical energy that you simply generate and don’t use will get exported and your retailer pays you 15p a unit. So your ‘value’ of utilizing your individual electrical energy is successfully 15p a unit,” continues Simon. “However a unit of fuel is usually about 7p a unit, so even should you did energy your electrical underfloor heating with solar energy, it’s costing you 15p a kWh of warmth whereas a contemporary fuel boiler could be costing you (after effectivity losses) about 8p, or almost half as a lot.

“Our heroic warmth pump, at 400% effectivity, could be costing you lower than 4p a kWh of warmth, or half the price of fuel.”

Simon Bones

Simon is CEO and founding father of Genous. He has first-hand expertise navigating the retrofit world and has put in photo voltaic PV, renewable heating (each warmth pump and biomass), good management programs, insulation and efficiency glazing into varied properties, in addition to making the change to electrical autos. A Visiting Analysis Fellow at Bristol College in local weather change science, Simon has an educational in addition to enterprise and private ardour for all issues climate-change-related, and he has grasp’s levels from Bristol and Oxford.

Is a warmth pump higher than photo voltaic panels for UFH?

If all of this has left you questioning whether or not you’ll be higher off putting in a underfloor heating with a warmth pump, you may simply be onto one thing, significantly in order for you a moist UFH system.

“The rationale a warmth pump works is that, if it’s effectively designed and specified, you get about 4 items of warmth for each unit of electrical energy (the remainder comes from the air or one other supply of warmth), so you utilize 1 / 4 of the vitality,” explains Simon Bones. “And it ought to value a couple of quarter as a lot to run as the electrical underfloor heating.

“Warmth pumps can really feel intimidating and so they do value greater than a fuel or oil boiler normally. So since warmth pumps use electrical energy, wouldn’t or not it’s simpler and cheaper to place in electrical underfloor heating, perhaps with some photo voltaic panels so that you’d be making your individual electrical energy?” continues Simon. “It could be cheaper to place in, however that doesn’t imply it’s smart to do, or cheaper to run. In truth, except you have got a really small property with a really low warmth load – or a warmth pump can’t work for logistical causes – we don’t suppose it is a good factor to do.”