Nu-Heat underfloor heating systems

Nu-Heat supplies warm water underfloor heating designed room by room, rather than sold as a generic kit. The company designs each system around detailed room-by-room heat loss calculations, then supplies pre-cut pipework, room thermostats and a handover pack with layouts based on those calculations¹. Its best-selling kits are built as one-stop solutions for single room or one-zone installations, in water screed, water overlay or electric form¹.

The efficiency claim attached to the range is consistent across the maker's material: underfloor heating is around 25% more efficient than radiators because it is a low-temperature system, and up to 40% more efficient when paired with a heat pump³. That figure is a maker's comparison for new builds rather than a metered result in an existing home, and the design work behind it is what determines whether a given house sees it.

For a household, the independence question is straightforward. A wet underfloor system removes radiators as the emitter and lets a heat pump run at the low flow temperatures it prefers, which reduces reliance on high-temperature gas. It does not remove the heat source: the system still needs a boiler or a heat pump, and therefore a fuel supply, a grid connection and a servicing regime. The pipework carries a 50-year warranty and the design is fixed at the point of order, so the main dependencies are the heat source, the electrical supply for pumps and controls, and annual water treatment under BS 7593⁵.

What Nu-Heat supplies, and how the design is built

Nu-Heat's model is design-led rather than catalogue-led. The process runs in three key stages: room-by-room heat loss calculations, setting the underfloor heating output, and creating the underfloor heating layout². The heat loss work covers fabric losses through walls, windows, roof and floor plus ventilation loss from air changes in each room, and ventilation loss is factored into every design⁴. The second stage sets pipe spacing, water flow temperature and flow rates to balance the heat output against the floor construction and the heat source⁴. The third produces detailed tube layout and electrical drawings, CAD drawings of the underfloor heating, and pipe coil quantities, lengths and spacing, with manifold locations chosen to sit central to the rooms they serve⁸.

The maker is explicit about what poor design produces: a cold home where the underfloor heating struggles to heat the rooms, cold spots across the floor, high running costs, and damage to floor coverings from overheating areas⁴. That is the commercial argument for the design service, and it also explains why pipe quantity is not a fixed figure per square metre. The amount of pipe needed varies depending on the level of insulation in the room and its heat requirement⁸.

For a household, this is the part of the offer that matters most for independence: the system is sized to the building rather than to a rule of thumb, which is what allows a low flow temperature to work. The design is also the point at which the heat source is fixed, so the choice between a boiler and a heat pump is made before any pipe is laid. More on how emitters and heat sources interact is at underfloor heating and heat pumps compared with boilers.

Efficiency: around 25% less energy than radiators

The efficiency case rests on temperature. Independent guidance states that wet underfloor heating can warm a home at lower operating temperatures, making it a more energy efficient solution and helping reduce energy bills⁹. Nu-Heat puts a number on the comparison: underfloor heating is around 25% more efficient than radiators, and up to 40% more efficient when paired with a heat pump³. The same 25% figure appears across the maker's product guide and system pages, always in the context of new builds where underfloor heating is installed throughout¹⁰.

The mechanism is the surface area. A floor emits heat across the whole room rather than from a small panel, so the same heat output is achieved at a lower water temperature. That lower temperature is what a heat pump needs to run efficiently, and it is also what reduces standing losses in the pipework and boiler. Independent guidance notes that air or ground source heat pumps are particularly effective with wet underfloor heating because heat pumps are designed to be left on for longer periods and operate at lower temperatures¹².

Two conditions sit behind the 25% figure. The first is insulation: a low-temperature system cannot deliver a comfortable room if the fabric loses heat faster than the floor can replace it. The second is floor covering, since a thick carpet and underlay insulate the floor from the room. Nu-Heat designs around a flow temperature of roughly 55 degrees C where a system is paired with a boiler, and lower where it is paired with a heat pump⁸. The documents do not give a single metered saving for an existing home, so the 25% should be read as a design comparison rather than a guaranteed bill reduction.

Screed, LowBoard 2 and single-room kits: which system fits which project

Nu-Heat's range splits by floor construction and by project size. Screed systems are frequently used in two primary project types, new builds and extensions, and can offer heat outputs up to 100 W per m2 when paired with Nu-Heat design⁷. They work with heat pumps and boilers⁷. For retrofit LoPro systems, Nu-Heat recommends its LoPro QuickSet self-levelling compound⁷.

LowBoard 2 is the low build-up option, engineered specifically to be laid directly over existing subfloors in renovation and extension projects, with an exceptionally thin total build-up of just 18mm⁶. It can go over solid or suspended timber⁹. Installation runs in a defined sequence: lower boards laid in a brick-bond pattern, glued at the edges and screwed to the subfloor where it is suspended timber, pipe pushed into channels, then printed cover panels fixed using marked fixing indicators⁹.

Single-room kits are the entry point: designed as one-stop solutions for single room or one-zone installations, in water screed, water overlay or electric form¹. For a household, the choice is driven by floor height and disruption rather than by performance, since all three wet options run at the same low flow temperatures. The wider comparison of wet and electric systems is at underfloor heating.

Heat source compatibility: boilers, air source and ground source heat pumps

Wet underfloor heating is suited to maximising heating appliance performance, whether that appliance is a boiler or a heat pump¹⁵. Independent guidance states that wet or hydronic systems can be run using a mains gas boiler or a heat pump, and that oil or solid fuel boilers can also be used, with existing boilers checked for compatibility with lower temperatures¹². Nu-Heat states that its warm water systems can be fed from any boiler system, and that it provides air source and ground source heat pumps which can be fully integrated into the underfloor heating system¹¹.

The heat pump pairing is the one with the strongest independent backing. Ground source heat pumps are most effective if a home has underfloor or air heating systems¹⁶. Water-based underfloor heating is easy to combine with low carbon heating systems like heat pumps¹⁷. Having underfloor heating usually works well for heat pumps¹⁸. Heat pumps can work in all types of homes, including those that have less insulation¹⁹.

For independence, the pairing matters more than the pipe. A wet floor lets a heat pump run at the temperatures it is designed for, which is what makes an electrically driven heat source competitive with gas on running cost. It does not remove the electricity supply, and a boiler-fed system keeps the gas connection. Where a household is off the gas grid, the same floor works with an oil or LPG boiler, though the low-temperature benefit is smaller unless the boiler is condensing and set low. More on the fuel choice is at heating a home off the gas grid.

Floor coverings and output: the 39 W/m2 limit under 2 tog carpet

Floor covering is the single biggest variable in what a floor can deliver. Nu-Heat states that almost any floor covering can be chosen with its underfloor heating, with flow temperature and heat output calculated to avoid damage¹⁶. The output figures show what that means in practice. Under a 2 tog carpet and underlay, a Nu-Heat screed system delivers 39 W/m2 at a 40 degrees C flow temperature, 50 W/m2 at 45 degrees C and 61 W/m2 at 50 degrees C²². LoPro Max delivers 40 W/m2 under the same carpet at 40 degrees C, 53 W/m2 at 45 degrees C, 66 W/m2 at 50 degrees C and 79 W/m2 at 55 degrees C¹⁴.

The regulatory direction of travel is towards thinner coverings. The Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation proposes that the thermal resistance of the floor covering should be 0.15(m2.K)/W or less²³. That is a proposed standard rather than a current requirement, and it points the same way as the output tables: the more insulating the covering, the higher the flow temperature needed to hit a given output, and the further the system moves from the low-temperature operation that makes it efficient.

For a household, this is a design input rather than an afterthought. Changing the covering after installation changes the output, and the design cannot be adjusted retrospectively without altering flow temperatures or pipe spacing. The maker's own figures show the trade-off clearly: the same carpet needs a flow temperature 10 degrees higher to move from 39 to 61 W/m2 on a screed system²².

Installing it yourself: what a competent DIYer can do

The division of labour is set by the trades involved. Nu-Heat states that pipework installation is manageable for most DIYers, but that professional trades are needed for electrical connections and structural work⁵. It adds that a householder who has tackled significant home renovations before and is installing underfloor heating in only one or two rooms will likely be able to install it themselves, at least partly, and that no specialist tools are needed⁷. Some homeowners choose to lay the tube themselves using the layout drawing and bring in an installer to help with commissioning².

Independent guidance is more cautious on wet systems. Installing these systems can be complex, so they should be installed by qualified professionals¹⁷. Unless a householder is a professional plumber, it is inadvisable to try to install the system yourself²⁴. Whether a wet or electric system is being installed, it is always best to have underfloor heating installed by a professional⁹. Electric underfloor heating is the exception in DIY terms: it can generally be installed yourself, cutting the overall cost, though a registered electrician certified with a recognised body such as NICEIC should make the connection²⁴. Dry systems are described as an option for a skilled DIYer, with a qualified electrician needed to connect to the mains¹².

Nu-Heat's own position is that a heating engineer and an electrician are needed to connect and commission the system¹. The practical split is therefore: tube laying and panel work by the householder where experience allows, manifold connection, electrical work and commissioning by trades. Laying pipes typically takes just a few days for a 3 to 4 bedroom new build, though wiring and commissioning depend on trades⁷.

Warranty, lifetime support and servicing under BS 7593

Nu-Heat's pipework comes with a 50-year warranty⁵. The company offers lifetime technical support on its underfloor heating systems, available for the full lifetime of the system, from a technical support team reachable Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm¹⁰. Support continues throughout the lifetime of the system². The thermostat range runs to 18 products, including dial thermostats and time clocks kept so that older systems can be replaced like for like, and neoStat thermostats paired with a neoHub as the smart upgrade path²⁷.

Servicing is where the system meets the wider heating regime. Nu-Heat states that since 2022 BS 7593 requires annual maintenance as part of regular heat pump or boiler servicing, including checking inhibitor levels, water quality and cleaning system filters⁵. Independent guidance states that hydronic underfloor heating must adhere to BS 7593²⁸. All Nu-Heat systems are sealed, pressurised systems⁵.

The design also removes one common failure point. Nu-Heat states that it designs systems so that the tube only ever connects at the manifold, with no joins under the floor whatsoever²⁶. That matters for a floor that cannot easily be lifted, and it is the reason the pipework warranty can run to 50 years.

For independence, the position is mixed. The floor itself is durable and the pipework is warrantied for decades, and the system runs at temperatures that suit a heat pump. But the heat source, the electrical supply for pumps and controls, the annual water treatment and the technical support all sit outside the household's control. A wet underfloor system is a long-lived emitter, not a source of energy. The wider picture of what a home can and cannot supply for itself is at home heating and energy independence.