It depends on the job, and we will say so plainly. For a new build designed around a heat pump, water underfloor heating deserves serious consideration. For a small tiled bathroom where you only want a warm floor, a cable mat may be all you need. For a retrofit that has to provide primary heat under several different floor coverings with no screed, ribbon is the one we build around.
How we are judging it
Rather than comparing these on technical jargon, these are the questions people actually ask.
Will it heat the complete room, or just the floor? What flooring can it go beneath? How disruptive is the installation? How much floor height does it add? And can it work alongside solar panels and battery storage?
Water underfloor heating
Water underfloor heating circulates warm water through pipes beneath the floor, normally heated by a boiler or a heat pump.
For a new build designed around a heat pump, water underfloor heating deserves serious consideration. It pairs well with a heat pump because both can be designed around lower water temperatures, and where the floors are being built from scratch the depth is not a problem.
Water-based systems need pipes, a manifold, controls and a suitable heat source. Some embed the pipes in screed; others use dry panels or boards. Water circulating through the pipes does not mean every system needs a wet screed floor. Compare the complete specified construction and floor height for the products being considered.
Water temperature and floor construction depend on the selected system and design. Both screeded and dry-panel systems exist; follow the supplier’s flooring and temperature requirements.
For a new build that may be perfectly manageable. For a house that already exists it can mean adjusting doors, thresholds and adjoining floor levels, and turning a heating upgrade into a much larger building project.
Electric cable
Cable systems use a resistance wire that heats when electricity passes through it, supplied loose or attached to a mesh. They are widely used beneath tiled floors in bathrooms and kitchens, and depending on the system the cable may need to sit within tile adhesive, levelling compound or screed.
Cable heating may provide primary heat where the installed output meets room heat loss within flooring limits. Rated power and installation method depend on the specific product.
Many consumer cable kits are installed over a smaller area to warm the floor while radiators do the real heating. That makes cable useful for individual rooms and comfort heating. It does not mean every cable kit has been designed to heat a home.
Foil systems
Foil electric systems have product-specific floor and support requirements. Some use dry constructions beneath compatible finishes; check the exact manufacturer’s approved flooring, underlay and overlay layers before comparing them with Ribbon.
Foil-heater construction, compatible flooring and output vary by product. Check the manufacturer’s approved floor build-up and assess heating suitability for the room.
Whether a foil product provides comfort warming or primary heat depends on its specification and the room’s heating design.
Carbon film
Carbon-film products have differing electrical protection, flooring and installation requirements. Check the exact product’s certification and complete approved floor construction.
Ask each supplier for the exact floor compatibility, electrical protection and installation requirements of the product being offered.
Ribbon
The EkoBuild system uses a 1.8mm amorphous metal ribbon. The heating element ribbon is 7 to 25mm wide, and heat is produced across that whole width, and it runs at 150W per m².
Follow the exact flooring manufacturer’s temperature limit and installation requirements. A suitable thermostat and floor sensor must limit the floor temperature. Do not assume the heating mat automatically stays below a flooring limit: controls, floor construction and commissioning all matter.
It is installed as a dry system over suitable insulation. There is no traditional screed, no manifold, no water pipe and no boiler required to operate the heating.
The precise flooring layers change with the finish, but the same ribbon can be used beneath compatible carpet, laminate, engineered wood, LVT, vinyl, tile and stone. That means you are not choosing one technology for the carpeted bedroom, another for the laminate living room and a third for the LVT kitchen.
It also runs on electricity, so it can use power from solar panels, a home battery, or cheaper off-peak periods. There are no pumps, water loops or manifolds, and nothing needing routine boiler-style servicing, though the final 240V connection must be made by a Part P qualified electrician and certified to BS 7671.
Side by side
| Ribbon, operating temperature | Follow the exact flooring manufacturer’s temperature limit and installation requirements. A suitable thermostat and floor sensor must limit the floor temperature. Do not assume the heating mat automatically stays below a flooring limit: controls, floor construction and commissioning all matter. |
| Water, operating temperature | Water temperature and floor construction depend on the selected system and design. Both screeded and dry-panel systems exist; follow the supplier’s flooring and temperature requirements. |
| Cable as primary heat | Cable heating may provide primary heat where the installed output meets room heat loss within flooring limits. Rated power and installation method depend on the specific product. |
| Foil | Foil-heater construction, compatible flooring and output vary by product. Check the manufacturer’s approved floor build-up and assess heating suitability for the room. |
| Carbon film | Carbon-film products have differing electrical protection, flooring and installation requirements. Check the exact product’s certification and complete approved floor construction. |
| Ribbon thickness | 1.8mm |
| Indicative build-up, laminate | Add the actual insulation, Ribbon and laminate thicknesses, plus any required supporting layers. Carpet and underlay have their own construction. |
| Build-up, engineered wood | Add the actual insulation, Ribbon and engineered-board thicknesses, plus any required supporting layers. |
| Build-up, ceramic or stone | Calculate from the specified rigid base, Ribbon, adhesive and tile thicknesses. |
| Coverage for primary heat | Layout target only; assess room heat loss |
| Runs on solar or battery | Yes, it is electric |
| Supplier paperwork | Supplier paperwork includes Nemko certificate P15220551, dated 3 December 2015, for AHT floor-heating elements, Class II, tested against EN 60335-1, EN 60335-2-96 and EN 62233. Ask EkoBuild for the documentation applying to the product supplied. |
Where else it goes
Special applications such as outdoor heating, animal areas or vehicles need products specifically rated and approved for that use. Do not assume the standard room-heating mat is suitable.
Ask Russell about a separately specified product for any low-voltage application; the standard stocked room-heating products must not be treated as a vehicle or outdoor kit.
So which is best?
If you are building a new home around a heat pump, water underfloor heating deserves serious consideration.
If you only want to warm a small tiled bathroom, a cable mat may be enough.
If you have a compatible floating floor and only need a thin electric product, a carbon film system may be worth looking at.
But if you are renovating a house that already exists, and you want one low-profile system that works beneath carpet, wood, laminate, LVT and tile, provides primary heating, avoids traditional screed and integrates with solar and battery, that is what ribbon was built for. It is why we specialise in it.
Related video
Watch the reviewed short clip and read its matching transcript. Use the current guidance on this page and the supplied product instructions for planning and fitting. Choosing underfloor heating: video, captions and transcript.
Work out what your room needs
The free Room Designer gives you the layout, the coverage percentage and the price for your actual room, not an example one.
Comparison FAQs
Is water or electric underfloor heating better?
Compare the complete design for your property. Water systems need an appropriate heat source and pipe installation; electric systems need a suitable circuit and controls. Floor construction, room heat loss and use determine suitability.
Can electric cable underfloor heating be primary heating?
Cable heating may provide primary heat where the installed output meets room heat loss within flooring limits. Rated power and installation method depend on the specific product.
Are foil underfloor heating systems any good?
Foil-heater construction, compatible flooring and output vary by product. Check the manufacturer’s approved floor build-up and assess heating suitability for the room.
What about carbon film underfloor heating?
Carbon-film products have differing electrical protection, flooring and installation requirements. Check the exact product’s certification and complete approved floor construction. Its low profile suits certain compatible floating floors.
How thick is ribbon compared with the others?
The Ribbon is 1.8mm thick. Finished floor height also includes the insulation, floor covering and any supporting layers, adhesive or levelling material required by the exact construction. Add those specified thicknesses before comparing systems.
Can any of them run on solar panels?
The electric systems can, because they run on electricity. Ribbon pairs with solar, a home battery or off-peak tariffs. A water system still needs a boiler or heat pump behind it.
