Fitting Underfloor Heating And Solar Panels

Starting this discussion with a glimpse into underfloor heating (UFH) where the floor itself becomes the heat emitter and heats the room from the floor up, both electric and water based underfloor heating systems are readily available. Perhaps a little more difficult compared to an electrical system that uses resistance to generate heat, water based UFH uses pipes imbedded into the flooring to allow for the recirculation of heated water affixed to condensing boilers typically employing heat pumps or solar water heaters.

3 important categories of flooring should be taken into consideration before choosing which method of UFH to install:

Underfloor Heating for solid floor installation
Underfloor Heating for tiling on suspended flooring
Underfloor Heating for timber suspended flooring

The heating system pipe/cable is usually embedded in the floor screed in new builds with solid flooring. In existing constructions with strong flooring, the pipe/mat is laid on top of the solid flooring which lifts the level of the flooring up which means doors and skirting boards will additionally need to be lifted. If an electrical underfloor heating system is being mounted by lying on top of an existing surface instead of imbedded in screed, heating system mats made with a flexible mesh backing are used. For tiled flooring, flexible tile adhesive is used to secure the piping/cable onto the existing floor before the tile is mounted over the top. Options for suspended wooden floors would involve mounting pipes and cables between the joists.

Turning ones attention towards the means to power underfloor heating systems, one shoould look at the possibility of installing solar panels to produce the power necessary to heat the room and to power the pump to re-circulate water if this proceedure is applied. Installing solar panels are, starting to be much less expensive and more popular every day, are a viable option with today’s technology and readily available materials.

Although often mounted on rooftops, solar panels can additionally be mounted in stand alone fashions (like those solar powered road signs that you see on the sides of the road). What is vital is locating a location that has a lot of direct exposure to the sun and is not encumbered by tree branches or subject to shade from buildings.

Choose the solar power mount that is appropriate for your installation. Mounts are readily available in pole mounts, roof or ground mounts, and flush mounts. Advanced pole tracking mounts are readily available that will adjust the solar panel throughout the day for optimum exposure all day long.

Entertaining the use of solar power to produce the energy to power UFH leads one to the question, “What does one do for a power source at night time?” Tying the solar panels into a battery system allow the solar source to recharge during the day while allowing for a power source to draw off of at night is the straightforward solution to this problem.