Electrical Controls.

The controls package is an important element of the underfloor heating system. Underfloor heating is controlled differently to a conventional radiator system were you usually just have a conventional time clock with a simple ON/OFF function. Because different rooms achieve temperatures at different times (based on heatloss, u values, areas of glass and solar gain etc.) individual room control is essential to maximise system efficiency.

Individual room control allows the end user to adjust individual room temperatures based on their individual requirements. The room thermostat in the room will control the amount of heat delivered into that room based on the required temperature. For example if a room sensor is set to 21°C and the room temperature reaches 21°C the actuator/s will close the circuits supplying heat into this room only. It does not shut down the whole system and stop the boiler, other rooms can still be calling for heat if the desired room temperature is not achieved.

Basically everything is controlled automatically were the client only has to adjust room thermostats to their individual preference. Adjusting a temperature by a degree can considerably reduce running cost.

Night Set-back - The underfloor system is programmed on time and temperature. When the house is occupied the desired temperatures usually are 21°C for the living and 20°C for the bedrooms. When the house is not occupied or you do not require heat the temperature is usually set to 16°C. This is known as the "set-back" temperature. By having this control it stops the house cooling right down during the night so it is not struggling to bring the house up to temperature in the morning. It is best to allow a 2 hour lead time a 2 hour lag time for programming purposes. This is because your floor is a thermal mass and you are delivering heat through 75mm of floor screed therefore it takes longer to heat up and cool down.