Practical advice on heating and cooling your Perth home
Straight answers from the engineers who design and install the systems. Floor heating, radiators, heat pumps, geothermal and heat recovery.
What happens if something goes wrong with my floor heating?
Most faults are in the parts you can reach and get fixed without touching the floor. The unfixable ones are decided before the pour.
Should I heat the whole house, or just the living areas and bathrooms?
People who leave out the laundry usually regret it. When to heat every room, and when one bathroom is all you need.
Which floor coverings work best over floor heating?
Tiles and polished concrete are the easiest. Timber and carpet work too, if the heating is designed for them before it's built.
Floor heating mistakes you can’t fix once the slab is poured
Most floor heating mistakes end up under concrete. The four you can't fix after the pour, and how to catch them on paper first.
Is floor heating with a heat pump environmentally friendly?
On today's WA grid a heat pump is level with gas or a bit better, and getting better. The house and the floor decide the rest.
What maintenance does hydronic heating need?
The pipes in the floor need nothing. The heat pump or boiler needs a check about every two years. Here's what a service covers.
Is floor heating safe for children, pets and older people?
The water in the floor runs at about 40 degrees, so there's nothing hot to touch and nothing to knock over. Why it's safe and what to check.
How long does floor heating take to warm up – and should I leave it on?
A thin screed starts warming the room in 15 to 30 minutes, a slab in about 45. Why that matters in Perth, and why it runs on a timer.
Can floor heating go upstairs in a two-storey home?
Yes, in a thin insulated screed. Why heat from downstairs won't warm the bedrooms, and why the slab itself stays unheated.
Can rooftop solar power my floor heating?
Partly. Solar makes power at noon and you want heat at 7am and 7pm. How a heat pump, a warm floor and a tank bridge some of the gap.
How do I keep floor heating running costs down?
Most of the bill is decided before the pour. What keeps a heated floor cheap to run, and the settings that help once you move in.
When should I plan floor heating for a new build?
The slab is the deadline and the design stage is the time. When to start, what to have ready, and what if the pour is booked.