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• Running Costs

Running Cost Estimates

One of the most common questions we get about electric floor heating, is how much does it cost tor run?

The factors determining running costs of any systems are:

Whilst here in Australia , insulation levels may not be as good as many European countries, this is compensated for by the fact that the external winter temperatures here are in most cases, considerably higher.

This coupled with the relatively short heating season in most states & the fact that electric floor heating usually operates at high efficiency levels, means that this type of heating will be an economical option in most cases.

Heat output
The typical heat loading over an average installation is around 120watts per square metre of floor area in main living areas & up to 200w/sqm in bathrooms. The typical winter heat losses from the building would be less than half of this figure, but the overload factor is built in to provide a faster warm-up time when a 'heating boost' is required or if the temperature drops suddenly.

Advanced control
The advanced digital thermostat we use in most installations measures the temperature in regular 20 second cycles & then delivers just the right amount of power during the next cycle in order to maintain a constant temperature. This avoids the 'peaks & troughs' associated with many other forms of heating. Depending on the heat loss, our controller can deliver between 0% & 100% of the maximum output of the system during a cycle (signified by bar indicators on the digital display) Whilst every property is different & the requirements of each state differ, an average power consumption of 35% of the maximum output has been used for calculation purposes.

Therefore taking 120 watts per sqm, running 35% of each hour the heating is switched on, the consumption would be approx 42 watts per sqm per hour.

At a typical price of 13 cents per kwh, the cost would equate to approx 0.5 cents per per sqm per hour on average with the maximum possible cost being approx 1.5 cents per sqm per hour during the initial warm-up phase. Or to put it another way, the consumption would equate to small 40w light bulbs placed in rows 1 metre apart throughout the home.

Example

So for a 150sqm building heated for a 3 month winter (90 days x 8 hours per day = 720 hours) x 42 watts per sqm per hour - the annual consumption would be 150 sqm x 720 hours x 42 watts = approx 3024 kwh. If the price of a kwh is for example 13 cents then the cost would be $0.13 x 3024 = approx $393 per year!

Note the figures given above are for demonstration purposes, but in our opinion are representative of the typical cost of heating an average sized home in WA, NSW, VIC, SA.

The following tables has been taken from the WA sustainable development office & estimates based on a 60sqm area in WA the annual running costs for an 'on-demand' electric floor heating system would be between $140-$160 whilst for the 150sqm area the cost increases to $350 - $390

The off-peak costs however are much lower at $75 for a 60sqm area & $175 per year based on 150sqm

Whilst these figures may be slightly higher than some of the other forms of heating, the decision about heating systems should not base on running costs alone.

Underfloor heating requires no servicing or maintenance & is controlled digitally by electronic thermostats with timers. Underfloor heating is also considered by many experts to be the most ideal form of heating available for the human body!

Approximate Annual Running Costs - 60sqm area

Approximate Annual Running Costs - 150sqm area

 Technical

You can find our products on permanent display in the following locations:

WA

Tel 08 9481 1111

Radiant Floor Heating (showroom)
Unit 5 / 21 Delage Street
Joondalup WA6027

Tel 08 9301 5337

NSW

SA