Underfloor heating comes in two families. Electric systems warm the floor with a resistive cable or foil element; hydronic (water-based) systems circulate warm water through pipes buried in or under the floor. Both produce the same lovely result gentle, even, invisible warmth but they suit very different projects.
Where electric wins
Electric systems are thin, fast and cheap to install. A self-adhesive mat adds 3 mm to the floor build-up, fits around a renovation without touching door heights, and needs nothing but a wire back to the thermostat.
- Single rooms and renovations. A bathroom refit is the classic case: two days of work, one circuit, done.
- Fast response. Tile over an insulated electric mat is warm in 15–25 minutes perfect for rooms used in short bursts.
- Zero maintenance. No boiler, no pump, no annual service. There is simply nothing to go wrong.
The trade-off is running cost. Electricity is a premium fuel, so heating large areas for many hours daily gets expensive.
Where hydronic wins
A water-based system costs more to install pipes, a manifold, a heat source but produces each unit of heat far more cheaply, especially from a heat pump.
- Whole homes in cold climates. If your house is in Shimla, Srinagar or Dehradun and heats for five months a year, hydronic running costs are typically 50–65% lower.
- New construction. Pipe cast into the screed turns the slab itself into a radiator, at the lowest cost per square metre of any configuration.
- Thermal mass. A screeded hydronic floor holds warmth for hours after the heat source stops cosy at 2 a.m. without drawing a watt.
Our rule of thumb: under 20 m², or heating a few hours a day go electric. Whole homes that heat all season go hydronic.
The honest comparison
| Electric | Hydronic | |
|---|---|---|
| Installed cost | Lower | Higher |
| Running cost | Higher | Lower |
| Build-up height | 1–5 mm | 18–75 mm |
| Heat-up speed | 15–25 min | 45–90 min |
| Best for | Rooms, retrofits | Whole homes, new builds |
| Maintenance | None | Annual check |
You can mix them
The comparison isn't either/or. Many of our projects run hydronic through the living areas and bedrooms, with a small electric mat in an upstairs bathroom where extending pipework would be disruptive. Each zone gets the system that suits it, all behind the same SenseWarm controls.
Unsure which side of the line your project falls on? Our free heat-loss assessment answers it with numbers rather than instinct.
Written by Priya Raghavan
Head of Engineering
Part of the ProWarm India team designing and installing radiant heating across the country since 2012. Meet the team.
