Underfloor heating for self-builders

Thanks to record house prices and TV programmes like Grand Designs, self-build houses are growing in popularity – and self-builders are choosing luxury features like underfloor heating as standard 

Thanks to record house prices and TV programmes like Grand Designs, self-build houses are growing in popularity – and self-builders are choosing luxury features like underfloor heating as standard. 

The benefits of this high-end attitude to basic building often translate into lower running costs and more environmentally conscious homes – as well as the feeling of luxury that high-end features like underfloor heating generate. 

No underfloor heating from developers

With developer-built houses the reverse is frequently true. Underfloor heating might be cheaper to run once it’s installed, but a developer won’t look at it that way – putting a traditional radiator system in will maximise their profits, and after all, they won’t be paying the heating bills once you move in. As a result, only newbuilds at the very top end of the market will use underfloor heating. 

On the other hand, “In for a penny, in for a pound” seems to be the mantra of most self-builders – and according to Keith Burrell of the Association of Self-Builders when people start a task like building a home they tend to want to do it to a very high spec. 

"Over the last ten years self-builders have been fitting in things like condenser heating systems, underfloor heating, solar panels and warm roof design. The specification value in self-builds tends to be higher as such things are easier to do when you are building from scratch," he said. 

Underfloor heating: very attractive to self-builders

For an initial cost from around £12 per square metre, underfloor heating can generate even amounts of heat at a relatively low cost – making it an extremely economically viable option for self-builders. 

Because it removes the need for radiators on walls, it can also improve the look of a house, or free up extra potential storage space. And its ‘luxe’ tag makes it appealing to people who want to enjoy the feeling of good living in their home. 

Underfloor heating: the green choice

In addition, as Burrell suggests, underfloor heating can be combined with other “green” technologies to dramatically reduce a home’s carbon footprint – something that more and more people are becoming concerned with. 

Robbens Systems is a company with many years of expertise in underfloor heating. With more than 15 years in the business, the company is ideally placed to help you plan and install underfloor heating in a wide range of buildings – from care showrooms to renovated buildings. 

Our expertise can help you get the underfloor heating system you’ve always wanted, and our trained technicians are there to help you every step of the way. For more information, call us today on 01424 851111 or email robbens@underfloorheating.co.uk.

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