Climate control that runs hot and cold
Like ceiling heating, with no moving parts to wear out, floor heating is virtually maintenance free. There are three types of this totally unobtrusive form of heating:

In-slab heating
For one room or the whole house, this type of heating has to be installed when in the process of building or renovating. As the name suggests, it is built into the concrete slab, with heating cables tied to the cement’s top reinforcing mesh before the slab is poured. In-slab heating enables you to place almost any type of floor covering over the slab and provides economical warmth 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The system is specifically designed for connection to OffPeak. During the periods of the day or night when cheaper electricity is available, heat is automatically stored in the floor. The heated concrete then dissipates background warmth evenly throughout the room.

In-screed heating
Especially suitable for tiled areas, it can be installed over concrete, timber and fibro-concrete sheet floors. A 20-25mm thick sand/cement screed is laid over the cables. Because cables are closer to the surface the response time is quicker. It is thermostatically controlled and ideally suited to use with a timer.

Under-tile heating
Suitable for installation over almost any existing floor surface, including tiles, timber and fibro-concrete sheet, it is made up of a very thin heating element which is pre-attached to a self-adhesive heat resistant mat. It should be noted that this is not designed to warm the room: it is specifically designed to take the chill off tiles in areas such as bathrooms and is ideally used in conjunction with another form of heating. It can be used with a timer and thermostat.
Note: insulation needs to be installed under the floorboards for maximum effect.

Pros
Safe, with no exposed or hot surfaces.
Years of maintenance-free operation saves ongoing costs.
Completely hidden system, frees up all wall space.
Totally silent.
Draught free.
No dust, therefore good for allergy and asthma sufferers.
Provides an even distribution of heat to every corner of the room.
Programmable thermostat/timer options for non OffPeak systems.

Cons
In-slab can only be installed when building or renovating.

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