Underfloor heating specialist Timoleon has launched two new products purpose designed to match increased use of timber and other “dry” construction methods – and the fast rising popularity of low energy systems powered by heat pumps.
Timber constructions are faster to build, have lower embodied energy and can be easily prefabricated. As they become more popular, it’s important that heating technologies are improved to ensure these features aren’t compromised.
The underfloor heating needs to integrate with the timber building - providing the same performance that can be expected from traditional screeded systems - but at low water temperatures if the heat pump COP is to be maximised
A study undertaken for Timóleon by the research and test team at BSRIA shows that a really good underfloor system can produce the same heat output from water up to 10ºC cooler. With most heat pumps this represents an improvement in efficiency (COP) of over 20%!
Combined floor deck
Timoleon’s Toron flooring system combines a floor deck with an underfloor heating system in a single, structurally loaded entity.
The new, patent pending, system comprises 22mm thick panels of moisture resistant, flooring grade chipboard, ready tongue and grooved and routed to accept Timoleon's 10mm polybutylene underfloor heating pipe.
Pipe is fitted into the channels on the upper surface of the chipboard modules - thus ensuring that the heating element is as close to the floor finish as possible. This maximises the heat output of the modules, while reducing the temperature of the water required.
As the panels are laid like any conventional floor installation of the underfloor heating becomes even faster.
Screeds are a perennial problem. Whether underfloor heating is installed or not, real problems are created when floor finishes are laid on “wet” screeded floors. The moisture will eventually permeate through the screed into the finish. Wood flooring is particularly sensitive to changes in moisture.
A rule of thumb for the drying time of screeds is 1 day per mm of thickness and with screeds being typically 65mm thick this translates into over two months of waiting,
Time on site is precious and removing the need to screed reduces construction time - there’s no waiting with a dry floor.
Conventional dry construction underfloor heating systems have a quick warm up relative to screed systems due to the lower mass. This is recognised in the SAP ratings. If the system responds faster it can be more efficient, it will not suffer from “lag” where there is unwanted energy in the floor, after the thermostat has switched off.
Again it’s important to get the same performance from a “dry” construction as from a screeded floor.
New Timoleon FoilBoard SRB (screed replacement board) comprises high efficiency insulation material with a layer of aluminium bonded to the upper surface – into which channels are preformed ready to accept Timoleon’s 15mm polybutylene heating pipe. The system is then topped with a floating floor of screedboard.
Where required pipework centres can be closer than standard 200mm to maximise the efficiency of the heat pump - achieving full comfort conditions from comparatively low temperature water.
Both straight and loop return sections are available, all of which can be easily cut – Timoleon uses soft tempered aluminium - to meet the exact dimensions of the floor.
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