After a few months, the Ukrainians will receive the first bills for heating. This heating season, taking into account reductions in standards, to pay more will have even subsidianes. The cost of heating depends on gas prices, while imported fuel (tied pricing) for Ukraine is more expensive. Sooner or later, experts believe, heat tariffs will have to increase. Some cities have revised the cost of Gcal. One of the saving options – go to cable electric heating, but it is necessary to understand whether to install the “warm floor”.
When and who will be “warm floors”
According to the law “On housing and communal services”, in a heated room must be at least 18 degrees Celsius. For every degree below minus five percent of the amount in the payment. If the temperature in the apartment below 12 degrees, to pay for heating no need. But, as noted by lawyer Alexander Plakhotnik, the act specifies that the rule applies “subject to the exercise by the owner, the owner of the house measures on warming of the premises and common areas”. That is, if the house is not insulated and the tenants in the winter cold, you can blame all of the apartment owners.
In such a situation is to install additional heating, says a leading specialist company “smart house” Eugene com. Warm floors on the balcony, in the bathroom and in the cold room will be “saved” from low temperature.
“Floors can be used in the offseason as additional heating. You can use them when late spring or early autumn and the battery is already turned off or is not turned on, but it’s cool. You can use warm floors in basements, balconies, bathrooms. When there is no battery, you can use electric Underfloor heating. You poured the concrete, set the thermostat and it works,” – says Eugene com.
If you use Underfloor heating as an additional source of heat, for example, in the kitchen in five square meters, materials and floor installation can cost only 3900 UAH. The cost of the work in the first place depends on what materials used: imported or Ukrainian. Among foreign manufacturers of the most popular Norwegian floors, while the floors are of Ukrainian origin may be the quality is not much worse and the price is much cheaper.
Together with the “warm floor”, says the expert, installed a programmable thermostat. There are several types of thermostats: air temperature sensor in a room with floor sensor programmable, automatic, with touch screens. The most common thermostats: DEVIreg Smart (it can be controlled with a mobile phone programmed for several periods of the day), OJ Electronics (also programmable, as well as shows how much kWh of electricity and cost with the ability to set a limit on costs) and Ensto (mechanical thermostat with floor sensor).
The more expensive the controller, the more features. For example, programmable controllers allow you to set the temperature for four periods of day (morning, afternoon, evening, night) and separately for each day of the week. These controls are from three thousand hryvnias. While conventional mechanical controller, which controls only the temperature of the floor and has only one mode of operation, and costs from 400 UAH.
“If you work in a day, you can program in the morning to warm the kitchen where you eat Breakfast. Then you need to go to work, the controller turns off OJ Electronics system is money not spent. Then you left, the system turns into heating mode, the electric power consumed is minimal. And in the evening when you get home, you can re-heat the apartment. Battery work round the clock, even when you are away on a business trip or vacation. Therefore, it is profitable”, – says Eugene com.
Easiest to install Underfloor heating as main heating in private houses and in new buildings. First, these homes do not have a problem with the wiring. Secondly, new buildings set the vertical flow of heat. That is, any family can put the housing and meter to regulate consumption. And if heating with Underfloor heating cheaper can be “bolted” on at least the Central heating and to be heated by electricity.
“Even if the apartment is the wiring capacity of five kilowatt hours, it is possible to do rolling blackouts. To adjust the time off – one room for 15 minutes warmed up and was disconnected, then a second” – says Eugene com.
Often electric heating is really more profitable, says ex-head of Department on public relations NAK “Naftogaz of Ukraine” Valentin Zemlyansky. Ukrainians can set multi-zone counters for electricity, to heat the house or apartment at night and to pay for electricity at a special rate. So, with dual-zone counter with 23 in the evening and before seven in the morning the rate is 50% lower than usual, and from seven in the morning till 23 o’clock, the counter will count at the normal rate. If the house is insulated, cheap “night” heat will stay on all day.
“If you take the average, then Yes, it is heated with electricity more profitable, if you use multi-zone counters and have multiple rates. But in each case the situation is different. As for Central heating. This must be done all together or not do it at all. Otherwise you will screw the neighbors,” – says Valentin Zemlyansky.
The nuances of the installation of “warm floors”
Experts advise to install the Underfloor heating as the primary heating in well insulated houses or buildings, otherwise the heat through the wall will go to the neighbors and the street.
“Floors” eat a few inches of room height. Underfloor heating installed under the floor – tiles, laminate or linoleum. In the beginning establish the insulating layer, then separating the screed, and only after that the system “warm floor” – the electrical cables, is laid out with a certain step. This floor may “take” up to seven centimeters in the height of the room. In addition, the “warm floor” should be prepared before fixation, so as not to spoil new flooring.
The wiring in most buildings are not designed for electric heating. Most of the “Khrushchev” transaction can not cope even with the usual appliances and additional load in the form of individual boiler or Underfloor heating may lead to the closure. In homes of different types and years of construction wiring is usually laid in the rate of up to 5.5 KW of power consumption, says electrician with 15 years of experience Vitaly Chekh. In apartments with electric stoves – 7-9 KW per apartment. Due to wear of the transaction, this figure can be reduced by 20-30%.
But a common misconception that in the case of system failure you will have to pick the flooring is wrong. The existing specialized equipment that allows you to find the fault location with high accuracy and to establish the repair coupler will be sufficient to disassemble only one tile. For example, the Norwegian manufacturer, in addition to the standard 20-year warranty, to provide so-called “Full warranty” on their products. This means that in the event of failure of the heating cable by the manufacturer, official representative in Ukraine is obliged to compensate all costs associated with the replacement of the floor covering.
Entrepreneurs often install heated roof and chimney in order to protect their property and others from icicles in the winter.
As said Valentin Zemlyansky, there are examples where private businesses such as small hotels, refuse from gas and move to electric heating.
Warm floors are also often installed as the main heating in private country houses, where it is difficult to carry out communication.
