Underfloor Heating Costs 2026

How to read underfloor heating prices

Quotes mix supply-only and fully installed numbers. Supply-only covers pipe, boards or insulation panels, manifolds and basic controls from a supplier. Installed prices add labour, floor preparation, insulation where required, and often connection into an existing boiler or heat pump circuit.

A cheap supply figure next to an installed figure from another contractor is not a comparison. Ask every quote to state:

• •System family (screed, XPS overlay, gypsum/low-profile, joist plates, structural board)
• •Heated area in m² and rooms included
• •Insulation specification under or between the heated plane
• •Manifolds, actuators, thermostats and wiring
• •Floor preparation, levelling and edge insulation
• •Whether finishes, screed pour or self-leveller are included
• •Connection to the heat source (boiler, heat pump) and any blending or low-loss header work

Standard systems are typically installed across a broad band depending on scale and complexity — often discussed in the region of tens of pounds per m² for basic supply on simple screed jobs, and much higher once labour and overlay boards are in. Use the tables below as orientation, not a fixed price list.

Typical costs by system type (2026)

These bands reflect common domestic work in Devon and Cornwall. Your site may sit outside them if access is poor, floors are uneven, or the system is part of a full structural rebuild.

A rule of thumb on many domestic jobs is that labour is a large share of the total — sometimes roughly in the same order as materials once prep and commissioning are included. Structural systems illustrate this: a supply package in the several-thousands can need a similar order of magnitude again for proper install, depending on the floor.

System choice first: overlay vs screed · systems explained · UFH for renovations.

Realistic whole-house costs

For a typical 3-bed with about 80–100 m² of heated floor in Devon or Cornwall, use these as planning bands only. Run the UFH calculator for a project-shaped view, then get written quotes.

Hybrid design: UFH vs radiators · radiator upgrades for heat pumps.

What usually pushes the price up on renovations

Floor height restrictions

This is one of the most common constraints in occupied homes. Many homeowners cannot or will not dig out floors or accept large increases in finished floor level. Modern low-profile systems (typically in the 15–25 mm class for many overlays) exist specifically to solve this problem — and they cost more per m² than a simple screed pipe kit on an open slab.

Work through height before product choice with the UFH renovation checklist and overlay vs screed.

Insulation requirements

Suspended timber floors almost always need proper insulation between the joists if the heat is to go into the room rather than the void. Solid concrete floors are more forgiving but still need insulation below the heated plane to a sensible standard. Skipping insulation to “save money” increases running costs for the life of the system.

Solid stone and older fabric

Solid stone walls common in Devon and Cornwall raise heat loss. If a heat pump is being installed at the same time, fabric improvements (loft, draughts, glazing where practical) sit in the same decision — not because UFH requires them as a product, but because the whole heating design does. See heat pumps in older homes.

Existing pipework and plumbing

Older properties frequently have distribution pipework sized for high-temperature boilers. Low-temperature underfloor circuits need correct pipe sizes, manifolds and, on some boiler systems, blending arrangements. Replacing flow and return or installing new manifolds adds cost that is easy to omit from a “board only” quote.

Living in the property during works

Most renovation UFH is done with people still in the house. That means protection, phasing room by room, restricted working hours and more labour time. Empty properties with open floors are cheaper to work in — which is why new-build screed routes often look better on a spreadsheet.

Floor height — the biggest practical constraint

In renovation projects, finished floor height is frequently the deciding factor between systems. Measure before you order:

• •Door clearances and ironmongery
• •Stair nosings and the top step
• •Kitchen units and fixed joinery
• •Level access and thresholds

Overlay still adds height. Screed after a dig-out can reset levels but spends time and money. Low doors and period joinery in South West cottages regularly force the thinnest viable overlay — or a hybrid strategy room by room.

Upstairs joists need their own solution — plates, deck overlay or structural boards — not a casual wet screed. UFH upstairs renovation.

Insulation: solid floors vs suspended timber

This is one of the most misunderstood areas of underfloor heating pricing and performance.

Solid concrete floors. Downward heat loss on an uninsulated slab wastes energy into the ground. Design usually includes insulation below the heated plane to the thickness your designer specifies. The insulation is part of the cost and part of the efficiency case.

Suspended timber floors. Insulation between joists is not optional if you want heat in the room. Plate and board systems still need that discipline. Labour to lift boards, insulate, fit plates and reinstate finishes is why joist systems often cost more installed than the supply sheet suggests.

Cold spots after install are often balancing or insulation gaps, not “the wrong brand.” Cold spots — causes and fixes.

Manifolds, controls and actuators

A good underfloor heating package from a reputable supplier will normally include the manifolds, actuators and basic controls. Buying everything separately without a coherent design is a common way to overspend and under-deliver.

Room-by-room control is standard on modern systems. App control and remote access on some brands need an extra hub — budget it if you want it. Commissioning and balancing are not free extras; they are how the system actually works.

On boiler systems, blending at the manifold is common because boilers produce hotter water than the floor needs. Heat pumps prefer a pure low-temperature design without unnecessary blending losses — see flow temperature and efficiency.

Underfloor heating with a heat pump

Underfloor heating and air source heat pumps are a natural pairing because both work best at low flow temperatures. A heat pump can often feed the floor circuit directly without the high-temperature blending common on older boiler manifolds.

That pairing only pays off if the floor is designed for the room heat loss at the flow temperature you will run — not if flow is cranked high to hide weak design. The UFH package cost is separate from the heat pump plant cost.

Related guides:

• •Heat pump + UFH — is it worth it?
• •Heat pump costs Devon & Cornwall 2026
• •What size heat pump
• •Flow temperature

Screed vs overlay — cost logic, not marketing

Screed often wins when the floor is already open: competitive pipe and insulation supply, familiar build sequence, high thermal mass. Programme cost is the pour and the cure — traditional cement screeds are often discussed with a rough “1 mm per day” drying rule of thumb; liquid screeds are typically thinner and faster but still need a real programme.

Overlay wins when people are living in the house and dig-out is off the table. Board systems cost more per m² in supply; they buy less disruption and lower build-up. Levelling uneven historic slabs is a real line item in South West renovations.

Full comparison: overlay vs screed underfloor heating.

Common mistakes that inflate cost or ruin performance

• •Ignoring floor height until products are ordered
• •Not insulating suspended timber floors properly
• •Comparing supply-only prices to fully installed quotes
• •Assuming one system fits solid ground floors and joisted first floors
• •Skipping manifold balancing — then chasing “cold spots”
• •Designing for high flow temperature on a heat pump project
• •Changing to thick carpet after design assumed tile
• •Leaving cure time out of the programme on screed jobs

If the system is in but rooms are uneven: cold spots · not warming up fast enough.

How to compare quotes fairly

1. Same heated area and same rooms
2. Same system family (do not compare screed supply to overlay installed)
3. Insulation and edge detailing stated
4. Manifolds, actuators and thermostats included or clearly excluded
5. Floor prep and levelling included or clearly excluded
6. Heat source connection and any blending / low-loss header work stated
7. Commissioning and balancing included

The cheapest number is often the least complete. Independent advice first; installer introductions when the scope is clear.

Honest bottom line

Frequently asked questions