In a nutshell, underfloor heating warms a room from the floor up, rather than from the ceiling down, as is the case with most central heating systems. Although there are a number of different types of underfloor heating, they all work according to the same principle, in that a heating element is laid under the floor and surrounded by insulation which both disperses the heat and prevents it from escaping into the ground or the downstairs room.

There are two main types of underfloor heating system ? ?wet? systems which use a network of under-floor pipes connected to the central heating system, and ?dry? systems which use an electric heating element.

Rooms where people are likely to feel the coldness of the floor through their feet, such as bathrooms or kitchens, are obvious candidates for under-floor heating. However, under floor heating can now be installed underneath almost any flooring type, be it carpet, linoleum, laminate, stone or hardwood.

Conservatories and extensions, especially those with stone-floored kitchen-diners in them, are also popular places to install underfloor heating, as if you're getting building work done anyway, it will be cheaper to get it installed while that is going on rather than having to rip up your floorboards after they have been laid.

While underfloor heating can be a wonderful thing, it is not suitable for every home and situation, so before you decide to splash out, it is worth weighing up the pros and cons of the technology in terms of how they relate to your own property and circumstances:

Pros:

Underfloor heating requires little or nothing in the way of floor and wall space, leaving you free to arrange your furniture exactly as you would like without having to worry about blocking off your radiators

You can use a wet system in combination with your central heating system, which means that you can have underfloor heating in some rooms and radiators in the rest

Cons:

Though cheaper to buy and install than wet systems, dry systems are a lot less energy efficient and could end up costing you more in the long run

Some of the less expensive electric systems are unsuitable for wood floors and can cause furniture to warp. However, electric technology is improving all the time, and some of the more sophisticated systems can now be used with any type of flooring, including carpets and hardwood, without significant problems

Wet systems can be very expensive to install in existing properties, as the floors will all need to be taken up

If your home is poorly insulated, then a lot of the heat generated by an underfloor heating system will be lost