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The prices in this guide are accurate, as of 2023*
There are plenty of benefits to installing an underfloor heating system. They’re very effective at heating your home and do so in a more eco-friendly way than other heating methods, like radiators. This means they can help you save money on your yearly heating bills. With underfloor heating, you’ll never have to walk on cold floors again.
Because it’s a high-end heating system, it will also add value to your home, remove cold spots (common with radiators), and will also free up your wall space which will make your home look bigger. Most importantly, it heats up your house a lot more quickly and efficiently than traditional methods.
This guide covers everything you need to know about the types of underfloor heating you could get, and how much it will cost you. The prices shown will always clarify where costs include labour and materials, and where they’re referring to them separately.
Underfloor heating costs between £1,200 and £5,000, depending on the type of underfloor heating you want installed, and the size of the floor you want fitted. This guide covers both heating types, as well as running costs and other considerations.
The older your property, the more it will cost to retrofit underfloor heating. Keep in mind that the cost of labour rises in London and the South East, sometimes by as much as 20%.
What type of underfloor heating is best?
The most important decision you will have to make if you want underfloor heating is which type of heating you should get.
The most common places to have underfloor heating installed are bathrooms and kitchens, though living rooms are also a popular choice. The great thing about underfloor heating is that you can heat different areas of your house independently, so you can keep running it in your bathroom and have it turned off in your living room, or the other way around.
What type of heating is best for your home will depend on how large the area you’re looking to heat is, and whether you’re installing it in a new build or as a renovation project (whether there is an existing floor or not).
You have two options when it comes to underfloor heating (UDH). These are electric (dry) underfloor heating, and wet (water) underfloor heating:
| What is it? | What is it suited for? | Pros | Cons | |
| Electric underfloor heating | A type of underfloor heating that uses electric heating mats or wires that are connected to the mains electricity supply. | Best suited for renovation projects or single/smaller rooms. | – Costs less to install than wet UDH – Faster at warming up than wet UDH – Easier and faster to install than wet UDH – Won’t usually require floor raising |
– Higher running costs than wet UDH – Cools down faster once you switch it off |
| Wet underfloor heating | A type of underfloor heating that pumps water through pipes that is heated by your chosen heating source. | Best suited for larger spaces and new builds. | – Costs less to run than electric UDH – Pipes retain heat longer than electric UDH after you switch it off – Plenty of sustainable heating systems are compatible with wet UDH |
– Costs more to install than electric UDH – More complicated to install, and may require additional work such as raising your floors to fit pipes – Slower to warm up than electric UDH |
A lesser-known benefit of UDH is that it minimises the movement of dust around your home, because radiators circulate air, which moves dust. For this reason, underfloor heating is particularly beneficial for people with allergies and asthma.
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How much does electric underfloor heating cost?
Electric systems heat up quicker, making them ideal for small rooms like bathrooms where you want a speedy warm-up time.
The most compatible materials to choose for the flooring that will go above your UDH include stone (and in particular marble), ceramic and porcelain tiles, wood, laminate and vinyl (but only for wet systems), and carpet.
These prices include the cost of materials and the cost of labour.
| 40 m2 retrofitted electric UDH | £1,400 |
| 60 m2 retrofitted electric UDH | £1,900 |
| 80 m2 retrofitted electric UDH | £2,500 |
| 40 m2 new build electric UDH | £1,200 |
| 60 m2 new build electric UDH | £1,500 |
| 80 m2 new build electric UDH | £2,000 |
The above prices do not include labour and material costs to fit new flooring over your underfloor heating system. How much you spend on flooring will depend on your choice of materials.
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How much does wet underfloor heating cost?
Wet underfloor heating is usually the preferred choice for larger areas, or if you’re looking to get it installed in your entire home. For smaller areas, electric UDH is better. It’s also easier to install. Both are equally easy to use, thanks to the connected thermostat that will help you regulate temperature.
These prices include the cost of materials and the cost of labour.
| 10-40 m2 retrofitted wet UDH | £3,400 |
| 60 m2 retrofitted wet UDH | £4,200 |
| 80 m2 retrofitted wet UDH | £5,000 |
| 10-40 m2 new build wet UDH | £2,000 |
| 60 m2 new build wet UDH | £2,300 |
| 80 m2 new build wet UDH | £2,600 |
Water based systems are usually recommended for new builds, where UDH will be the primary heating source for the whole house. Though more expensive to install, they are more cost effective to run, making them cheaper in the long term.
The price for wet underfloor heating between 10 and 40 m2 is roughly the same. The above prices do not include labour or material costs for fitting new floors above your underfloor heating. How much you spend on this will vary depending on your choice of materials.
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Labour costs for installing underfloor heating
The average underfloor heating installation costs (excluding the cost of materials) is around £700 – £2,600 for the whole project. How much you will spend will depend on the size of the floor you are getting fitted.
How much you spend on labour also depends on how long the installation takes, and whether you hire one skilled tradesperson or more. Hiring several workers may not raise prices too much though, as the job will be completed faster. Where you live in the UK will also impact costs.
To get a sense of how much you might spend on labour for your new underfloor heating, let us know what you have in mind, and get some free quotes today.
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Is underfloor heating expensive to run?
Electric underfloor heating running costs are higher than for wet systems, so it’s not usually recommended for people looking to install underfloor heating in large areas of their home, or all of it.
Several things can impact how much it costs to run underfloor heating. These include:
- How well insulated your underfloor heating is will impact how energy efficient it is, affecting the overall running costs by reducing lost heat
- Room size – the greater the area, the more energy you’ll need to heat the room
- Other room insulation – beyond your floor insulation, draughty rooms that aren’t properly insulated also lead to higher running costs
- How often you use it
- (For electric systems) – the cost of electricity per kilowatt hour
- Your choice of floor covering – certain materials are better heat conductors, helping your room heat up and cool down faster. Tile, vinyl, and stone are great options, whilst carpeted floors and wooden flooring are less energy efficient, as they act as insulators (increasing running costs)
Insulating your home properly is the best way to lower your energy bills and make the most of your underfloor heating.
The cost of running underfloor heating, for a year, is around:
| Room size | Electric underfloor heating | Wet underfloor heating |
| 10 m2 | £384 | £80 |
| 20 m2 | £768 | £161 |
| 30 m2 | £1,152 | £239 |
It currently costs around £161 a year to run wet UDH, and around £768 a year to run electric UDH in a 20 m2 room. To heat one 10m2 room for four hours a day will cost you around £10.80 a month using electric UDH. That’s around 10p per square metre, when run for six hours.
Wet systems are, on average, 25% more efficient than radiators, as they can perform at 50°C, rather than the 70°C – 90°C that radiators require.
To make sure you’re in control of your energy spending, we recommend you get a thermostat to monitor your energy usage. These are sometimes included in your package when you buy underfloor heating.
If you want to save as much as you can on energy bills, you could even think about pairing your underfloor heating with a renewable heat source, such as a heat pump.
Do you want to start saving money on your energy bills? Ask for some free quotes today to get your underfloor heating.
Or check out our article on underfloor heating running costs.
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Do you need building regulations for underfloor heating?
Though there aren’t specific building regulations for underfloor heating, there are some things you will need to consider.
Most importantly, your flooring needs to conform to Part L of the building regulations, which has to do with conserving fuel and power by making sure buildings are efficient enough.
This means that your new floor needs to be properly insulated during the underfloor heating installation. Regulations demand that your floor needs to have a U-value of less than 0.25w/m2k, and that when your underfloor heating is installed, the value shouldn’t be greater than 0.15w/m2k.
To make sure your underfloor heating is sufficiently insulated, tell us about your project, and get into contact with some skilled installers who can get the job done properly.
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Conclusions
Underfloor heating can help you reduce the carbon footprint of your home and can save you money on your energy bills as well. It’s also a more effective method of heating your home and allows you to gain space by getting rid of your clunky radiators.
With underfloor heating, you can say goodbye to cold spots and cold feet. For an accurate quote on how much you might spend on underfloor heating, let us know where you’re thinking of having it installed, and get some free quotes today.
*The Rated People cost guides are produced in collaboration with the quote-building platform PriceBuilder, and a range of tradespeople across the 30+ trades on our platform were consulted. Please note that the prices included are for guidance only – how much you end up spending will depend on the specific requirements of your project.
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