Design and showers
Bathroom underfloor heating: electric or wet?
Underfloor heating warms a bathroom floor from below, and there are two types: electric mats, which suit a single room and are quick to fit, and wet systems, which run warm water from your central heating. Published UK guides put electric systems at about £60 to £120 per square metre installed. This guide compares both and explains what to plan.
Electric vs wet at a glance
| Feature | Electric mat | Wet system |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Heating cables under the tiles | Warm water pipes from the heating system |
| Best for | A single bathroom or en-suite | Larger areas or whole floors |
| Installation | Quicker and simpler | More work, and it connects to the heating |
| Floor height | Adds very little | Adds more |
| Published installed cost | About £60 to £120 per m² | About £90 to £190 per m² |
The costs are published national figures, not our prices. Running costs depend on your tariff, insulation and how often you use it.
Is underfloor heating worth it in a bathroom?
A warm floor makes a tiled bathroom far more comfortable, helps wet floors dry faster and frees up wall space that a radiator would use. It is especially popular in wet rooms, where the floor gets wet every day. Many people pair it with a heated towel rail.
What to plan before tiling
- Decide on underfloor heating before the floor is prepared, because it goes under the tiles.
- Insulation boards under an electric mat help the heat go up, not down into the floor.
- A thermostat with a floor sensor stops the floor getting too hot.
- Electric systems need a suitable circuit with RCD protection, following the bathroom zone rules.
- Wet systems need checking against your boiler and heating system.
How we fit underfloor heating
We fit electric and wet underfloor heating as part of a bathroom installation, and electric systems are fitted and certified by a registered electrician we work with. See our luxury bathroom installation service and our bathroom electrical zones guide.
Sources
Figures from other organisations are theirs, not our prices. Check each source for the latest version.
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Is electric underfloor heating expensive to run in a bathroom?
It depends on your electricity tariff, the size of the floor, the insulation and how long it runs. A bathroom floor is small, and a thermostat with a timer means it only runs when you need it, which keeps costs down. For whole floors, wet systems are usually cheaper to run, but they cost more to install. Good insulation boards help.
Can underfloor heating replace a bathroom radiator?
Sometimes. In a well-insulated bathroom, underfloor heating can be enough on its own, but many people keep a heated towel rail as well, to dry towels and add heat. Whether it can fully replace a radiator depends on the room's heat loss, so it is worth checking before you remove the radiator. We talk through the options at the free survey, based on the size of your room.
Can you fit underfloor heating in an existing bathroom?
Usually, yes, when the floor is being replaced. The old floor covering comes up, insulation boards and an electric mat go down, and the new tiles are laid on top. Electric mats add very little height, which makes them the usual choice for renovations. Wet systems add more height and need connecting to the heating, so they suit larger projects.
Does underfloor heating need a qualified electrician?
Electric underfloor heating needs a suitable circuit with RCD protection and must follow the bathroom zone rules in BS 7671, so it should be connected and certified by a qualified electrician. On our jobs, a registered electrician we work with fits and certifies it, and you receive a certificate when the work is finished. Keep the certificate safe with your home's paperwork.