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Residential HVAC
Underfloor heating innovations are offering a greater deal of flexibility for customers looking to welcome elderly relatives to their home, says Giles Coombes, product manager, Polypipe Underfloor Heating
over the age of 65 living in the country, meaning that for the first time in history there are more pensioners than children under the age of 16 in the UK. With nearly a third of the population aged over 50, another 23.2 million citizens will roll towards retirement age in the next decade. Provision to look after elderly relatives is often in short supply, so more and more families are choosing multi-generational living by bringing relatives into their homes. When this happens there is often some initial upheaval and a lot of consideration of how to make the transition work for everyone involved. Managing key comforts such as providing a warm
and flexible living space may not be at the top of the priority list but getting this right will make such a difference. By offering the right guidance to homeowners on underfloor heating, heating engineers can introduce a solution that is easy to manage, maximises space and offers energy and cost savings.
Whether the challenge is managing space,
remodelling a home or simply managing the financial pressures posed by shared living with an elderly relative, underfloor heating and a range of
Home comforts P
roviding adequate care for the elderly is one of the biggest social issues facing the UK. There are now more than 11 million people
control innovations can provide homeowners with a suitable solution for their home. Firstly, there are clear health benefits to using underfloor heating. The systems are not hot to the touch, and will provide a consistent comfortable temperature that can be easily and flexibly controlled. In addition, underfloor heating helps to reduce airborne dust which can be a key concern for elderly people with respiratory problems or allergies to manage. Bringing in an elderly relative needs careful management of existing space. Radiators can be limiting to the space available for placing furniture. For better flexibility, it is worth recommending a
single room underfloor heating kit to the homeowner, which can be installed without needing to replace and finance a full heating system. These kits are available across the market as systems which can be laid over existing floors and so can also be installed with minimal disruption. Single room systems are also suitable when the homeowner is looking to improve and upgrade a neglected room. Often the arrival of an elderly relative will require the provision of additional bathroom space and may need some design creativity to install the right equipment. Innovations in digital technology are playing an
increasing role in the care of the elderly and the evolution of heating smart controls has arrived at the right time to help the ageing population. These systems offer the ability to customise the
temperature and running times for each room meaning elderly relatives can stay toasty without affecting the programme for the rest of the house. The market also offers a variety of thermostats, from simple-to-operate dial controls to digital touchscreen displays, meaning the right style of control can be selected for each room. There are long-term cost benefits to recommend UFH to the homeowner - water-based underfloor heating offers lower operating temperatures, which helps to reduce energy bills and provide cost savings. Underfloor heating operates at approximately 30˚C lower than radiators and therefore requires less power from the system’s boiler, offering lower operating costs for an equivalent heat output from radiator systems. Underfloor heating has been designed with
flexibility in mind, offering installers the chance to provide an appropriate system for any type of project. And with an ageing population looking to their own family for support, water-based underfloor heating is a good way to make a relative feel at home in new surroundings.
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UFH SIMPLY INSTALLED
needed to complete installation in a single medium-sized room or extension between 10m2
P and 34m2 . Each pack includes an
installation guide, 200mm staple versions of UFH piping, 15mm barrier pipes, 15mm pipe stiffeners, a 2 Circuit ZRU, 25m Edge Expansion and 25m Conduit, making it easy for heating engineers to complete an installation for a customer. The company has also introduced a new
range of controls that are compatible with a wider range of devices, including smartphone, tablet or touchscreen thermostats and recognisable platforms including Google Assistant, Apple Homekit and Amazon Alexa. The recently introduced Smart range offers three different control options, Simple (dial thermostat), Standard (programmable thermostat) and Smart (internet enabled). This new range has been designed to be slim and stylish and features proximity-based illuminated soft touch keys. These easy to use, simple functions can be used by the less mobile, allowing people to manage their own comfort without needing to journey across a home to find the master controls. There is an energy-saving optimum start
which calculates the amount of heat-up time required to ensure a property is warm and comfortable that can be programmed around a family’s schedule, in the morning, through the afternoon and into the evening. This programming can be automatically optimised throughout the year to save money on utility bills – and carbon emissions.
olypipe has introduced Standard Room Packs for single room underfloor heating which includes all components
July 2019
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