National sales manager at Amber Underfloor Heating, Simon Whittaker, provides his expert advice on getting the best results from underfloor heating thermostats – from saving energy to smart home integration.
WHEN it comes to underfloor heating, the thermostat plays a critical role in the performance of the system. The correct selection, positioning and set-up of the thermostat ensures accurate temperature regulation, efficient operation and long-term reliability of the system.
With advances in control technology, installers now have access to a wide range of programmable and smart thermostats. Understanding how to use these features effectively helps get the best results from an underfloor heating installation.
Floor sensors and thermostat placement
Before considering control functionality, correct installation of the floor sensor is essential to ensure the thermostat works correctly.
The sensor should always be installed equidistant between two heating cables and positioned at least 300mm into the floor from the wall. This ensures accurate floor temperature readings and prevents false regulation by the thermostat.
In bathrooms and wet rooms, the thermostat itself should be located outside of the heated area, typically in an adjacent room, to comply with electrical regulations.
In these applications, the thermostat should be configured to a ‘floor only’ mode, disabling the internal air sensor so that regulation is controlled solely by the temperature of the heated floor.
Functionality
To get the best results from an underfloor heating system, correctly setting up the thermostat to optimise its functionality is recommended.
Fully programmable touchscreen thermostats remain a popular choice. They typically feature a seven-day programme with multiple daily periods. By utilising this, you can create a customised heating schedule which fits users’ lifestyle and preference. Plus, it allows installers to configure heat up and setback periods that align with the thermal characteristics of tile and stone floors.
Some thermostats feature a floor temperature limiting function. This ensures the underfloor heating system will operate at the ideal level of warmth without posing safety risks or impacting adhesives, levelling compounds or sensitive coverings.
Energy saving
Installers are increasingly expected to deliver systems that minimise running costs. Luckily, many thermostats make this simple.
If underfloor heating is zoned, thermostats can be activated independently in different spaces. For example, living areas like the kitchen and lounge can be warmed throughout the day, while heat is only applied to the bedrooms in the late evening. This optimises energy consumption, ensuring it’s only used in specific rooms when needed.
Additionally, the optimised start functions can help by learning your room characteristics and turn the underfloor heating on to be warm for your desired time, rather than turning on at your desired time and taking time to warm up.
Plus, ‘Holiday Mode’ helps to minimise energy use while residents are away.
When configured properly from the outset, these features allow the underfloor heating system to operate efficiently and consistently from day one.
Smart home integration
For installers, choosing a thermostat with smart home integration and Wi-Fi connectivity helps homeowners get the best from their systems, especially as thermostats with Wi-Fi connectivity are now a common request from homeowners.
Ensure the thermostat selected can be connected to the home network and controlled with the accompanying app. This allows the homeowner to control the system from anywhere. If it can also be seamlessly integrated with a smart home ecosystem, users can effortlessly control the underfloor heating system using voice commands or automation routines.
This enables real-time monitoring as well as more control over comfort.
The results of optimised thermostats
When the full functionality of the thermostat is optimised, an underfloor heating system will perform with the best results.
Installers can ensure the end-user benefits from stable and consistent heat regulation, improved system longevity through accurate floor temperature monitoring and reduced running costs through optimised scheduling and adaptive control.
How does Amber support installers with thermostat requirements?
Here at Amber, we provide easy-to-follow user guide videos on our YouTube channel which help you get the best from an underfloor heating thermostat.
With a video for each of our thermostats – DT-One, DT-Two and DT-Two+ – we can support everything from configuring the sensors and Wi-Fi connectivity, to setting the maximum floor temperature and using the preheat function.
In addition to our useful video guides, our design team and technical team are on hand to assist with any installation queries you may have.
technical@amberufh.co.uk
www.amberufh.co.uk
