How to Heat Your Basement with Underfloor Heating

Renovating your basement is a great way to increase the living space in your home and it’s often a much less expensive project than adding a room above ground. Since unfinished basements have no heating system in place, one of the first tasks in your project is to work out how to provide sufficient heat to make the space warm and cosy all year round. In this guide we’ll explore why underfloor heating is the perfect heating solution for your basement refurbishment project, looking at such things as:

• The top reasons why UFH is ideal for basements
• Tips for keeping your basement warm
• The ideal floor finish for basements
• The best Warmup floor heating systems for your basement

Reasons Why Underfloor Heating is the Best Solution for Basements

If your basement has been used as an unheated storage space, making sure it is properly insulated and heated is crucial. The exterior walls, windows and doors are already in place in a typical basement, and you won’t need a roof, however you will need a reliable source of heat and a water or electric underfloor heating system is a great idea.

UFH systems offer a clean, quiet and energy-efficient heating solution for basements. Our range of electric systems offer quick installation times whereas our water floor heaters take longer to install in basements but offer even lower long-term running costs. In addition to being easy to install and competitively priced, underfloor heating provides:

1. Low Long-Term Costs
   Underfloor heating systems with zone controlling thermostats are economical to operate because they heat the entire room quickly and evenly and use less energy than traditional heating methods. You can control the heat in your basement in isolation, separately from the rest of your home, so there is no wasted power by heating areas that are not being used. This translates into lower energy bills over the long-term.
2. Extremely Low Maintenance
   Once the floor heating system is installed, it requires to little-to-no maintenance and all Warmup systems feature extensive warranties for your peace of mind.
3. Reliable and Consistent Heating Source
   With the right heating controller installed, the heating system can operate by itself, providing automatic heat when you need it and maintaining your desired temperature range 24/7.

Tips for Keeping a Basement Warm

In order to maintain a comfortable temperature year-round in your basement, there are some basic concerns that need to be addressed while you are renovating. The main issue is keeping the radiant warmth your heating system will produce inside the space. Let’s look at some easy-to-implement ideas.

Keep Doors and Windows Closed

If you are not using a room, keep the doors and windows to that area closed. Open doors allow heat from one room to escape to another that is not being used, and therefore wasted. A floor heating system with zone controls allows you to heat only the rooms you are using.

Ensure Proper Insulation

A basement has the best natural insulation of any area of your home – the ground around the exterior walls. However, that’s not enough to provide proper protection against air infiltration and heat loss through the walls and ceilings.  Insulation is always recommended with underfloor heating and our collection of insulation materials improve the responsiveness of your heater and will make sure the radiant warmth it produces won’t escape into the rooms above or ground below.

Seal Windows and Doors

If there are windows and doors that were originally installed in the basement, they may not have been insulated and sealed properly, as they would have been in the finished rooms above. This issue can be easily remedied by ensuring that the windows and doors have been caulked around the exterior trim with a high-quality exterior grade sealant. Also, if your basement has single-glazed windows installed, consider replacing them with double or triple-glazed insulated glass windows which are more efficient.

Choosing UFH-Compatible Floor Finishes

Underfloor heating works with almost any type of finished flooring, but there are some materials that are better at holding and transferring heat than others. Tile and stone have a high thermal conductivity which means the heat created by the system beneath it will transfer to the surface quickly. In addition, they can be heated to a higher temperature which might be important if your basement has a high ceiling. You could also consider a concrete floor finish which help create a stylish and modern finish in basement refurbishment projects or natural wood flooring for a more traditional style.

The Best Underfloor Heating Systems for Basements

When the time comes to remodel your basement and make it a warm living space or dynamic entertaining space, our collection of hydronic and electric floor heating systems are the perfect choice.

Electric UFH in Basements

Electric floor heaters are mostly recommended for use in retrofitting applications as their low-profile design means they won’t impact on floor heights – an important factor when you’re planning a renovation of an existing basement as these spaces typically feature lower ceiling heights than other rooms. If you’re thinking about a concrete floor finish in your basement, our Inscreed Cable System is ideal as the electric heating cables are installed directly into the concrete. The DCM-PRO Heated Decoupling System is the perfect heater for installing in basements with tiled floor finishes.

Basements with a Water Underfloor Heating System

If you’re building your dream basement from the ground-up as part of an ‘iceberg home’ project or your existing basement has a deep foundation that can be excavated, one of our water floor heating systems (also known as hydronic or wet water UFH) may be more suitable. The Clypso System is ideal for use with floating concrete screeded basement floors or our Total-16 Low-Profile System is a great choice for basements with restricted ceiling heights – at only 16mm deep, this system can be used in almost all basement renovation projects. Use our simple online quoting tool to find the perfect floor heater, insulation and thermostat for your basement.