Water or electric: which floor is better
The choice of floor heating design is not always provided. Most often, this is the privilege of owners of private homes. All existing options are available for them, from the electric to the water type of construction. The choice of a warm floor system is made according to several criteria, the main of which is always cost-effectiveness and efficiency. It is difficult to name the best option, since there are always positive and negative points that must be taken into account in order to make the right decision.
Which is better: water or electric underfloor heating
It is necessary to clarify right away - from the point of view of the microclimate or the sensations of a person in the room, there is no difference in what kind of warm floor is used indoors. Existing differences relate to the type of construction, installation, acquisition and installation costs, operating costs. Electric types of underfloor heating:
- cable. It is a wire heated by passing current.
- film. Heating is done by infrared rays emitted by special elements fused into a thin film.
The main difference between electric types is that they independently generate heat, while the water floor is one or more contours of a flexible pipe through which a preheated coolant circulates. Without it, the water version does not work.
The main expenses are at the installation stage, after that you have to pay only for the coolant, which is much cheaper than paying for electricity. The water type of heating is good for houses with permanent residence, and the electric type is suitable for country or country houses, visited relatively rarely. Consider the comparison table of all types of construction:
To summarize: a warm water floor is good for residential buildings that require constant, continuous heating. You can’t just turn it off and you can’t leave, the system can freeze and fail. An electric heated floor every minute winds up the amount of payment for electricity, but it allows you to turn off the heating at the touch of a button without any consequences. Which floor is better, water or electric - determine the operating conditions.
