There are very many things to take into account when designing a new building in the 21st century, most of which will depend upon the use of the building.
One of those things today is that more and more buildings are being designed to incorporate underfloor heating. This is with good reason, for there are several advantages to using underfloor heating instead of a radiator system these days. Not the least of these is that, provided a water-based heating system is used, it will use considerably less energy to provide the same amount of heat. (It is also possible to use electrical underfloor heating, but electricity is expensive, and only going to get more so).
A water-based system consists of pipes running under the floor surface which are heated by warm water. The water can be heated by a boiler, or a ground-source or air-source heating pump.
Water-based underfloor heating not only uses less energy than either electric or a radiator system, but it also heats the room evenly. A radiator uses convection, and this means that some parts of the room are warm while others are colder.
No Radiators!
Another advantage of underfloor heating as opposed to radiators is that there are no radiators! That means that you can put furniture anywhere in the room without having to allow for them. Furthermore, radiators are not exactly known for their aesthetic appeal!
The heating pipes in the system need to be enclosed in a screed that is thick enough to cover them. Today, most people prefer to use a levelling compound in Birmingham, as liquid screeds are often called, rather than the traditional sand and cement.
These are the type of screeds that we provide at Top Mix. They use anhydrous calcium sulphate in place of cement, and this converts to gypsum when mixed with water.
The screed is mixed to exact proportions at our premises and is then transported to site in a mixer truck. It is extremely quick to lay because all we need to do is to connect a long hose and pump to the truck and pump it into place over the heating pipes. It is known as a levelling compound in Birmingham because, being in liquid form, it levels itself out in the same way a glass of water does on the surface.
A very big advantage is that being liquid, it totally covers the heating pipes so there are no air pockets which you get with a sand and cement mix. There are also many other benefits such as fast drying time, no cracking or curling, greatly improved heat transfer, and more. Call us for more information.