Stepping out of the shower onto a cold floor is the worst. This has been confirmed right now by a quick poll around our office. So we thought: this would make a great Christmas present. This year, give the gift of never having cold feet again.
The Ancient Wisdom of Heated Floors
Heated floors have a long history, dating back to around 5,000 BC: evidence of ancient "baked floors" has been found in Korea, foreshadowing the ondol systems that are now standard in Korean homes.More famously, the Ancient Greeks and Romans heated their buildings using hypocausts, which used hot air but required the floor to be raised in the building process.
While inventive, this is inefficient and labor-intensive, so probably not all that feasible in a Secret Santa program.
A precursor to the contemporary hydronic system was patented in 1907 by Prof. Barker, who later sold his idea to install a series of tubes underneath the floor to the Crittal Company.
While these are very nice, they mean the whole floor needs to be refitted.
The Advantages of Electric Underfloor Heating
Electric floor heating is an easily installed alternative, requiring just a couple of friends, some basic tools, and a couple of friends. Or, in the absence of all that, hire a contractor.
The end result is practically invisible: low-profile electric mat-like fittings raise the overall floor height by just a few millimeters (as opposed to hydronic systems) - to the naked eye, there's no difference at all.
Because the heating mats warm a large surface area at a low temperature rather than a small area around the radiator more intensely, it's more comfortable and economically sound.
And with the DEVIreg touch thermostat, it can be incredibly intelligent!
The touch-screen thermostat can be set up on a room-to-room basis with the baked-in setup wizard and reprogrammed throughout the year to warm a room when winter comes, or just have it switched on in the mornings during the spring and autumn.
If you're undecided about what to get for a friend or loved one this Christmas, a floor heating setup needn't break the bank.
Take a look around our online store for the best fitting, or come into our showroom for a little advice from our team.
