Electric underfloor heating proves to be effective even in large energy-efficient family homes

Low-energy single-story family house with FENIX electric underfloor heating in Žilina

In the Slovak regional city of Žilina, a single-story, non-basement family house with five rooms and a floor area of approximately 220 m² was built three years ago.

In the Slovak regional city of Žilina, a single-story, non-basement family house with five rooms and a floor area of 218.72 m² was built three years ago. The exterior structure of the house is made of the Porotherm system, with a 250mm brick and 200mm EPS insulation, and the infill structures feature wooden windows with triple glazing. The layout of the building consists of a living hall with a kitchen and access to the terrace, a bedroom with a bathroom, two children's rooms, a guest room, a hallway with a toilet, and a separate bathroom. The energy entering the house is electric energy with a water heating tank; the house is equipped with a recovery unit. The heating of the house is resolved through a combination of FENIX electric heating systems.

1 – Three-layer laminate floating floor; 2 – Floor limiting probe in the groove; 3 – PE covering foil thickness 0.25 mm; 4 – ECOFILM underfloor heating foil; 5 – Insulating pad made of extruded polystyrene; 6 – Base – concrete, anhydrite, original floor, etc.

The ECOFILM heating foils are used under laminate flooring in the living room, kitchen, and hallway, while the ECOFLOOR heating mats are installed in the rooms with tiles - bathroom and toilet. Additionally, electric radiant convectors are installed in the rooms, and in the bathrooms, the system is supplemented with heated towel rails. The entire heating system was supplied for 60,000 CZK including VAT, with the price including the delivery of ECOFILM, ECOFLOOR, ECOFLEX heating systems along with digital thermostats. The family house is used by four people - two adults and two children. As in every modern household, computers and other daily-use appliances can be found here.

1 – layer (ceramic tiles); 2 – flexible adhesive; 3 – ECOFLOOR heating mat; 4 – underfloor (limiting) probe; 5 – supporting concrete slab; 6 – steel reinforcement (known as mesh); 7 – thermal insulation; 8 – substrate (concrete slab)

How much does it cost to heat and operate a relatively large family house where heat is provided exclusively by electric heating systems? The house, with a floor area of 218 m², shows an annual energy consumption of between 15,000 and 16,500 kWh/year. The monitored consumption period characterizes year-round operation in the Žilina region, where the winter period is classified with temperatures down to -15°C. And the costs? The annual costs for heating and the entire operation (i.e., including electricity consumption for lighting and operating all household appliances) have been in the range of 40,000 to 48,000 CZK per year over the past four years.

Low-energy family house with FENIX electric underfloor heating in Nitrianske Hrnčiarovce

A two-story family house with five living rooms is built in the Slovak village of Nitrianske Hrnčiarovce and is a prototype solution for the economical and ecological construction of low-energy houses, taking into account the requirements of the environment. The house is non-basement, with a built-up area of 121 m² and a usable area of 205 m². The exterior structure is sandwich-type with a thickness of 425 mm. The window openings are fitted with plastic windows with insulating triple glazing, and the internal walls are made of drywall. The main living space consists of a living room, dining room, and kitchen, oriented towards the quiet back part of the house. The hallway upstairs provides access to three rooms with a terrace and balcony, a wardrobe, a technical room, and a bathroom. The building was realized by A CORO a.s., Prešov, which specializes in the construction of low-energy and passive houses and is a member of the Institute for Energy Passive Houses iEPD (www.iepd.sk).

A two-story family house with five living rooms is built in the Slovak village of Nitrianske Hrnčiarovce.

In the building, ECOFLOOR heating mats and ECOFILM F foils have been installed with the use of Creaton ceramic flooring. This is a new method of using so-called dry installation of floating ceramic flooring made from fired clay. This new way of laying ceramic flooring speeds up the implementation time and ensures the immediate functionality of the underfloor heating. The Creaton flooring combined with ECOFILM is the first dry installation combination in Slovakia. The initial costs for heating with regulation at list prices including VAT reached approximately 67,000 CZK. The annual consumption of the house is approximately 33.5 kWh/m²/year, while the family pays 23,000 - 25,000 CZK yearly for electricity.

1. Base (concrete, wooden board); 2. Dry filler CREATON; 3. Thermal insulation; 4. PE covering foil thickness 0.25mm; 5. ECOFILM underfloor heating foil; 6. CREATON – floating ceramic floor

Both family houses consume less than half of the energy for heating; the rest of the year-round consumption is for other uses - lighting, television, computers, washing machines, dryers, kettles, microwave ovens, etc. - that is, the usual operation of a household. The findings and the experiences of the owners of both family houses prove that the myth of the inefficiency and economic demands of electric heating has been overcome even in similarly sized buildings.