Your choice of a heating system decides the way heat is distributed. Underfloor heating produces radiant heat which makes you feel warm. The term radiant heating is used as radiation is responsible for a significant proportion of the “thermal comfort” achieved by this form of heating.

Radiators work by heating the air surrounding them using convection. The air heated by a radiator rises towards the ceiling and once this warm air has cooled down, it falls down to the ground level to be heated by the convection of the radiator again. This creates a flow of hot and cold air, hot and cold spots where areas near to the radiators are warmer than the areas elsewhere in the room.

Underfloor heating and radiators distribute heat differently. This illustration compares radiant floor heating and the uneven heat distribution from a radiator system. As some areas take much longer to heat with radiators and other areas are overheated, hot and cold spots reduce desired comfort levels.