How much does underfloor heating cost to install?

There are two main types: electric mat systems and wet (water-based) systems. Electric mats are the cheaper option to install, typically £50 to £75 per square metre including the mat, thermostat, and labour. They work well in single rooms like a bathroom or kitchen where you want warm feet on a tiled floor. The downside is that electricity costs more to run than gas, so electric underfloor heating in a whole house would be expensive to operate day to day.

Wet underfloor heating is the better choice for whole-house installations and new builds. The installation cost is £80 to £120 per square metre, which includes the pipe loops, manifold, insulation boards, and screed. For a typical three-bed semi with 60 square metres of ground floor, you are looking at £5,000 to £7,500 for the ground floor system fitted. Running costs are significantly lower than electric because the water is heated by your boiler or heat pump at a lower flow temperature than radiators.

If you are considering an air source heat pump, underfloor heating is almost essential because heat pumps work most efficiently at low flow temperatures of 35 to 45 degrees. Radiators need higher temperatures to heat a room, which reduces the heat pump's efficiency. The upfront cost of combining a heat pump with wet underfloor heating is significant — around £12,000 to £18,000 for the whole system — but the running costs are roughly half what you would pay with a gas boiler and radiators, and there are government grants available to offset the heat pump cost.