Underfloor Heating in Central Scotland

Enjoy comfortable, evenly distributed warmth throughout your home with an underfloor heating system designed around your property, flooring and heat source.

Renewable Heat designs and installs water-based underfloor heating for new builds, extensions and renovation projects across Central Scotland, including systems created to work efficiently with air source and ground source heat pumps.

Why Choose Underfloor Heating?

Underfloor heating turns the floor into a large, low-temperature heat emitter, distributing gentle warmth evenly across the room rather than concentrating it around individual radiators.

Warm water circulates through pipes installed beneath the floor, gradually heating the surface and the room above. Because the system uses a much larger surface area than conventional radiators, it can provide comfortable heating at lower water temperatures.

This makes water-based underfloor heating particularly well suited to heat pumps, which perform most efficiently when supplying heating at lower flow temperatures. It can also free up wall space, reduce cold spots and give you greater control over the temperature in different parts of your home.

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How Underfloor Heating Works

Water-based underfloor heating uses a network of pipes installed beneath the floor. Warm water from your heat pump or boiler circulates through these pipes, heating the floor surface and allowing warmth to radiate evenly into the room.

Each area can be divided into independently controlled heating zones, with thermostats allowing you to manage temperatures around the way your household uses the property. The system is designed around the room’s heat loss, floor construction and chosen floor finish, ensuring it provides enough warmth without running at unnecessarily high temperatures.

Underfloor heating works particularly well with heat pumps because its large surface area allows it to deliver the required heat using lower water temperatures than conventional radiators. Lower flow temperatures can improve heat pump efficiency and help reduce the energy required to maintain a comfortable home.

Underfloor Heating FAQs

Water-based underfloor heating, sometimes called a wet system, uses pipes installed beneath the floor to circulate warm water around a room.

The floor becomes a large heat emitter, gently transferring warmth into the space above. The system can be connected to a heat pump or suitable boiler and controlled through individual room thermostats.

Yes. A properly designed system can provide comfortable heating throughout the Scottish winter.

Its effectiveness depends on factors including the property’s heat loss, insulation, floor construction and available floor area. We calculate the heating requirements of each room before designing the pipe layout and operating temperatures.

Yes. Water-based underfloor heating is one of the most effective heat emitters to pair with a heat pump.

Its large surface area allows it to deliver warmth at a lower water temperature than many conventional radiators. As heat pump performance generally improves when flow temperatures are reduced, the combination can support a more efficient heating system.

Yes, although the most suitable installation method will depend on your existing floors, available floor height and the scale of the renovation.

Low-profile retrofit systems can reduce the amount of additional floor build-up required. However, some disruption is unavoidable because floor finishes usually need to be lifted and doors, skirting boards or thresholds may need adjustment.

No. It is especially straightforward to install during a new build, extension or major renovation, but it can also be retrofitted into existing homes.

The best system will depend on the floor construction. Ground floors may use pipes installed within screed or routed panels, while suspended timber floors require a different installation method.

In many properties, yes. Whether it can provide all the required heating will depend on the heat loss of each room and the amount of usable floor area.

Some homes use underfloor heating throughout, while others combine it with radiators upstairs or in rooms where floor installation is less practical. We design the complete heating system so each space receives the required output.

Underfloor heating generally responds more gradually than radiators because it warms the floor structure before heating the room.

The response time depends on the installation method and floor construction. A system set within a thick screed may take longer to warm up but can retain heat well, while low-profile systems may respond more quickly.

Yes. Underfloor heating systems can be divided into separate zones, each controlled by its own room thermostat.

This allows living areas, bedrooms and less frequently used spaces to follow different temperatures or heating schedules, helping you avoid heating every room in exactly the same way.

Underfloor heating can work with tile, stone, engineered wood, laminate, vinyl and suitable carpet.

Tile and stone transfer heat particularly effectively. Timber, carpet and other insulating finishes can also work, but their thermal resistance must be considered during design. Thick carpets and underlays may reduce heat transfer and slow the system’s response.

Yes, provided the carpet and underlay are suitable and their combined thermal resistance is not too high.

Your flooring supplier should confirm that the chosen products are approved for underfloor heating. The system design must also account for the reduced heat transfer compared with tile or stone.

Running costs depend on your heat source, insulation, controls, energy tariff and operating temperatures.

A well-designed water-based system can run efficiently because it distributes heat across a large surface area and operates at lower water temperatures. This can be particularly beneficial when paired with a heat pump. Electric underfloor heating is usually cheaper to install but typically costs more to run across larger areas.

The pipes beneath the floor generally require very little routine attention when the system has been designed, installed and commissioned correctly.

The manifold, controls, pumps and heat source should still be checked as part of the wider heating system’s servicing and maintenance schedule.

Comfortable Heating from the Ground Up

Underfloor heating distributes warmth across the whole floor, helping create a balanced and comfortable temperature without relying on radiators around the perimeter of the room.

Whether you are building a new home, renovating an existing property or installing a heat pump, we can design a system around your rooms, floor construction and long-term heating plans.

Designed Around Your Home

Every system is based on the heat loss, dimensions and floor construction of the individual rooms rather than a standard pipe layout.

Ideal for Heat Pumps

Underfloor heating can provide comfortable warmth at lower flow temperatures, helping a correctly designed heat pump operate more efficiently.

Flexible Room Control

Separate heating zones and thermostats allow different rooms to follow their own temperatures and schedules.

Why Homeowners Choose Underfloor Heating

Underfloor heating provides more than warm floors. It can create a more comfortable room, support efficient low-temperature heating and give you greater freedom when planning your interior.

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Even, Consistent Warmth

Heat rises gently across the entire floor area, helping reduce the hot and cold zones commonly associated with individual radiators.

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Improved Heat Pump Efficiency

Lower operating temperatures can help a heat pump work more efficiently while still providing the heat required by the room.

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More Usable Wall Space

Removing radiators gives you greater freedom when arranging furniture, glazing and storage around the room.

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Individual Room Control

Zoned controls allow you to tailor heating temperatures and schedules to different areas of your home.

Why hire us

Why Choose Renewable Heat?

An effective underfloor heating system depends on much more than laying pipes beneath the floor. The heat output, pipe spacing, flow temperatures and controls all need to be designed around the property and its heat source.

At Renewable Heat, we take a whole-system approach. We assess how much heat each room requires, how the floor is constructed and how the underfloor heating will interact with your heat pump, boiler or remaining radiators.

Whether you are planning a new build, renovating an existing home or upgrading to a heat pump, we provide a carefully designed system with professional installation, clear controls and ongoing support.

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Bespoke Heating Design

We calculate the heat requirements of each room and design the pipework, zoning and operating temperatures around your property.

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Experienced Local Specialists

Based in Falkirk, we have more than 20 years’ experience delivering renewable and low-temperature heating systems across Central Scotland.

Heat Pump Integration

We design underfloor heating and heat pumps as one coordinated system, helping avoid unnecessary flow temperatures and inefficient controls.

Complete Project Support

From initial assessment and technical design through to installation, commissioning and handover, we manage each stage of the heating project.

Our Testimonials

This was a challenging installation, given the size and weight of the heat pump unit with integrated tank and the need to connect it to existing pipework routing. The job took a day longer than expected as a result, but one of the company directors came out on the extra day to make sure the teething problems were sorted and to ensure that we had heat and water again (sacrificing his attendance at a social event as a result). The company obviously have a good support relationship with the manufacturer (Stiebel Eltron), who had a local technician available on the phone to work through issues in the commissioning, and there has been good technical support from Renewable Heat in the weeks since the installation, advising on heat curves and optimisation. During the planning/quoting stage, Renewable Heat were also very good at advising on what might be beneficial and what might be unnecessary, as a result of which we saved a lot of money on an additional hot water tank.

Grant Macaskill
Very amiable and professional guys and quality materials. However, the new boiler won’t kick in to support heat pump regardless of sudden boost demand to background temp as per the hybrid design. Glitches with the controls I’ve not been shown or not permitted to restore communication between boiler and heatpump using the RF controller or app for an £11k+ system, I’d rather be more in charge of my own house and equipment. I felt a bit harangued for final 40% invoice which was due immediately. I used the HES Loan system which installer knew as I showed them the agreement which had an end date of October and they agreed to proceed. I applied for drawdown as soon as I got equipment delivery invoice and paid them the same day in July. but because of difficulties with the supply chain for the External Wall Insulation from BCA in Shotts I couldn’t get my post EPC for both measures until end September but still within timeframe.
AWB
We are delighted with Renewable Heat’s installation of an ASHP in our 1940s bungalow. Chris did an excellent job (the pipe work is a work of art!) and was incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of the system, so we are really grateful to him for his precise attention to detail. This was a retrofit replacing our old gas boiler and there were some hurdles to overcome (radiators in awkward places needing re-piped), but everything from the initial quote to the final sign-off was expertly handled and we would highly recommended the company to anyone looking for an ASHP.
YourDisplayName
The Renewable Heat team have been excellent from the very start of the process (getting a suitability assessment of our property done) – to having the work completed over the course of a couple of weeks in the summer. The engineer team were professional at all times and any of the numerous problems that our strange house threw at them they overcame without any fuss or bother. I highly recommend Renewable Heat to anyone looking to have an air source heat pump fitted.
JSinc
The team at Renewable Heat were exceptional and their knowledge of the Ground Source Heat Pump was impressive. Any questions or queries I had they answered promptly and detailed. They were also extremely tidy which is an added bonus! I can not recommend this company enough.
C.Hutton
Overall, extremely happy with the service and although I only gave a 4 star for ‘value for money’ this is not a reflection on the installing company – it is just a reflection of the cost in general for this sort of technology. Costs need to come down to a more affordable level in order for the masses to jump onboard with the notion of installing renewable energy.
Peter123
Most impressed by the way in which Barry conducted his initial survey of our property and the advice he gave. We had other suppliers surveying too, but the thoroughness with which Barry and his people carried out their work impressed both myself and my wife. We believe we definitely made the right choice of installer.
John MacKenzie

Great, friendly, and professional team – almost didn’t want to cover the beautiful copper work up behind a cupboard. The system is running perfectly, just need winter to arrive to fully test it. Recommended.

Lagavulin16
The team were very helpful and worked very hard to help us get our project to the grant deadline. The customer support post installation has been exemplary. Highly recommended.
East Lothian