Electric floor heating is cheap to install and simple to control. Running cost comes down to four numbers you can find yourself.
The four numbers
- Connected load. Heated area × output. A 5 m² bathroom at 150 W/m² is 750 W, or 0.75 kW.
- Hours on. How long the thermostat schedule runs each day.
- Duty. The share of that time the heating actually draws power. Once the floor is warm, the thermostat switches it on and off to hold temperature.
- Tariff. Your electricity price in cents per kWh, from your bill.
Worked example: a bathroom
A 5 m² heated area at 150 W/m², scheduled for 4 hours a day at 30 c/kWh. Flat out, that's 0.75 kW × 4 h = 3 kWh, or 90 cents a day. With the thermostat cycling around half the time, it's closer to 45 cents a day.
Rule of thumb: for a typical ensuite, expect cents per day, not dollars. The biggest factors are insulation under the heating and how long the schedule runs.
How to keep costs down
- Fit insulation board under the heating on slab floors. Less heat goes into the concrete and the floor warms faster.
- Use a programmable thermostat and heat the room only when you use it.
- Ask your retailer about off-peak or time-of-use tariffs, particularly for in-slab systems that can store heat.
Use our running cost estimator to try your own numbers.
Need help with your project? Call 1800 519 654 or send us your plans for a quote.
