Underfloor heating with solar panels and battery storage
Russ explains how solar generation and battery storage can supply electricity for underfloor heating at different times of day.
Watch Russell explain
Solar electricity can supply electric underfloor heating when generation and demand coincide. A useful design starts with your roof, room heat loss and pattern of use. It cannot promise free heating throughout the year.
Solar output depends on the roof’s size, orientation and shading as well as daylight and weather. Ask for an estimate for your property and compare the generation pattern with the times you need heating. Spare output may be exported or stored; those choices have different costs.
Heating demand and solar output do not always coincide. Plan how the home will be supplied when generation is low. Read Energy Saving Trust’s solar-panel guidance.
| Part | Planning question |
|---|---|
| Solar array | What will this roof generate across the year? |
| Ribbon heating | Which whole mats fit, and does usable output meet room heat loss? |
| Controls | Which rooms need heat and at what times? |
| Optional battery | Does useful storage justify its installed cost? |
| Tariff and export | What are the current terms for this household? |
Use current import and export rates in the quotation. Include installation costs, realistic self-consumption, storage losses and future equipment replacement. An export tariff is not a fixed universal price, and a low overnight rate may have eligibility conditions.
Do not assume a fixed payback period or that every battery pays for itself. Energy Saving Trust’s research explains why household demand and tariff choice change the result. Heat pumps can also use solar electricity; compare complete designs for the same heating requirement.
EkoBuild’s Room Designer estimates the fitted ribbon layout and available stock price. A solar or battery quotation is separate. Share the room plan, flooring details and heat-loss assessment with the installers so each part is sized for the actual home.
Measure the floor and mark fixed objects before choosing the mats.