Underfloor heating manufacturers look to volume housing market

Following a period of seven years which has seen the UK market for underfloor eating grow 10-fold to about £70 million a year, the Underfloor Heating Manufacturers’ Association perceives its biggest challenge as seeing underfloor heating integrated and accepted into the volume housing market. Rod Hickmott, the new chairman of UHMA, says, ‘We’ve reached the point where it’s impossible to see an episode of a programme like “Grand designs” that doesn’t feature underfloor heating. The wealthy and design conscious are convinced; now we have to take our message to the people at large.’ He believes that a key issue is ‘striving for better understanding of the build process and the issues that drive developers and designers.’ Rod Hickmott emphasises that underfloor heating creates around 15% more usable space compared to radiator systems. ‘The implications of this are enormous,’ he says, ‘including lower build costs in terms of both land and construction and lower energy consumption, with improved levels of comfort.’

Related links:

• www.uhma.org.uk