UNDERFLOOR HEATING HEAT AT YOUR FEET


Michael Fisher, Local Product Manager for Indoor Climate Solutions at Wavin talks to BMJ about the key sustainable selling points merchants should know when offering advice around underfloor heating.


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n the midst of rising energy bills, making houses more efficient is high on the list of priorities for homeowners, so installer customers will naturally be looking for more innovative heating and plumbing products to meet that demand. T The latest update to Approved Document L of the Building Regulations came into effect in England in June 2022 and targets new-build dwellings with the aim of reducing carbon emissions by 30 per cent. This is a bold step forward ahead of the Future Homes Standard, sparking demand for more sustainable heating products across the country.


Underfloor heating (UFH) has, as a result, emerged as the perfect partner for solutions like heat pumps and biomass boilers, which are gaining popularity as we head towards a ban on gas boilers in new builds.


Complete control


Being able to maximise efficiency in UFH systems at all times is crucial for customers, particularly as energy bills continue to go up. Merchants can play their part by highlighting to installers the UFH products that are compatible with more innovative smart heating controls. These systems allow users


to heat specific zones of their house, so less energy is wasted, and rooms can be heated to different temperatures when needed. There’s also no need for customers to turn their thermostat up too high in search of immediate warmth, as is often the case with traditional radiators.


As many employees continue to work from home, home offices also need to be kept at ambient temperatures without heat being wasted in other, unoccupied rooms. Some systems, such as Wavin’s neoHub, can be controlled with a mobile or tablet app to warm up the house for when occupants get home.


Adaptability


As the drive towards net zero continues, renewable energy sources such as solar panels and heat pumps will become more common in new and existing developments. In England, recent updates make it mandatory to install solar PV on new builds, and programmes such as the Low Carbon Heat Scheme and national hydrogen trials will also result in increased demand for heat pumps over the next few years.


UFH is particularly effective when combined with air source heat pumps, which are most


September 2022 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net


efficient at low flow temperatures – when installed correctly, UFH systems can run at very low temperatures, meaning the systems complement one another.


Merchants should be ready to advise on the compatibility of different UFH products with these energy sources and any problems installers might face when updating existing systems.


A manifold body (the main hub of UFH systems), which is extendable will provide important flexibility at the installation stage, meaning specific requests can be catered for and capacity upscaled if necessary. At Wavin, we’re working to prioritise flexibility in our systems, with manifolds available in composite material and stainless steel, with the number of ports available ranging from 2 to 14. Likewise, pipe circuit length is a consideration that can often go under the radar but has important implications for adaptability for installers, so we offer pipe in different circuit lengths so your customers can be confident they’ll be ready to adapt to the demands of the project.


We’ve also introduced new products to the range compatible with these systems and Wavin Hep2O pipes are now applicable to UFH projects.


With demand for underfloor heating growing, there is a lot to be gained from becoming more knowledgeable in the different systems available. At Wavin, we’ve adapted the products we offer to make them compatible with a range of innovative sustainable technologies.


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