Modern Heating Systems – What Criteria Should We Use to Choose Heating?

Between a heat pump and heating film there is no general winner: a heat pump produces the same amount of heat with less electricity and can also cool, while heating film gives radiant warmth with a smaller investment, a short installation and no mandatory annual maintenance. Which pays off in a given house is decided by the ten criteria below together – we go through them, objectively, for both systems.

As a layperson it is hard to decide well on something you are not versed in, yet a heating system is for decades. So let us first look briefly at the principle on which the two systems work, because most of the differences follow from it.

Two different principles of operation

The heat pump: lifting environmental heat

A heat pump takes energy from a heat source – the ground, water or air – and releases it elsewhere at the desired temperature. The same principle works in a household refrigerator, only there the heat flows outward. Domestic units are mostly split systems: the outdoor unit extracts the heat and the indoor unit passes it on to the emitters. Depending on the emitters connected, the system can heat, cool and also produce domestic hot water.

Heating film: radiant heat directly from electricity

Heating film is a thin, flexible electric heating element. The heat is produced by the graphite paste in the film, and the power is determined by the density and composition of the paste. The film emits long-wavelength infrared radiation that gives off no visible light, which warms mainly the surfaces of the room and the people in it, not the air. It can be built into the floor, wall and ceiling alike, so it is used in family houses, flats and offices.

Ten criteria for choosing

1. Warm-up speed

Reaction time is determined mainly by the emitter. Systems with water-based emitters – and any underfloor heating built into thick concrete – warm through more slowly, because first the water and the structure have to warm up. The radiant heat of heating film mounted on the ceiling or wall can be felt soon after switching on; if the film also goes under the concrete, the concrete as a heat store reacts more slowly but gives more even warmth.

2. Investment cost

Building electric heating does not cost peanuts either, but the investment in heating film is typically much lower than in a heat pump, where the outdoor and indoor units, the emitters and the installation together make up the price. You will find a calculation made at today's prices in the cost comparison of heat pump and infrared heating.

3. Running cost

Here the heat pump is stronger: it draws a greater part of its heat from the environment, so it buys less electricity for the same amount of heat. The monthly cost of heating film is therefore typically higher, although the difference is smaller in a well-insulated house with a low heat demand. With solar panels, the purchased electricity of both systems can be reduced; by how much depends on the way electricity is accounted for and on your own consumption – you can read about this on our solar panel page.

4. Space requirement

A heat pump has both an outdoor and an indoor unit, and the plant often needs a separate space. Heating film stays hidden in the floor, wall or ceiling, and no radiator takes up wall surface either.

5. Controllability

Both systems can be controlled well; the difference is in the division. With heating film a separate thermostat in each room can control the heating, even from a phone with a Wi-Fi version, so electricity is used only where heating is needed. A heat pump system can also be divided into zones, but this takes design and mechanical components.

6. Maintenance

A heat pump is a complex mechanical system that needs regular inspection and maintenance by a professional – it is worth asking for the fee together with the quote. Heating film has no moving parts and needs no annual maintenance.

7. Environmental impact

Neither system burns fuel in the house. The environmental advantage of a heat pump is that the greater part of the heat it delivers is renewable environmental heat. The environmental burden of heating film depends on how the electricity used is generated, which your own solar panels can reduce. Because the film does not heat by circulating air, it stirs up less dust.

8. Efficiency and heat loss

Heating film turns 99% of the electricity it draws into heat, directly in the heated room – this is characteristic of every direct electric heating, and no heat is lost in distribution pipes either. A heat pump has to be measured by a different yardstick: it does not turn electricity into heat but lifts environmental heat, so from a unit of electricity it delivers more heat than the electricity it draws.

9. Possible uses

A great advantage of a heat pump is that besides heating it can also cool and produce hot water – with heating film, summer cooling and hot water have to be solved separately. Heating film adapts to the characteristics of the room: depending on the floor covering and the ceiling height, it can be designed for the floor, wall or ceiling.

10. Flexibility in installation

We are comparing a thin film with a heavy, fixed piece of mechanical equipment: heating film is simpler and quicker to install and can be extended room by room later. Installing a heat pump takes more design because of the placement of the outdoor unit, the pipework and the emitters.

Summary table

Which may be better in which house?

A heat pump shows its advantage where the heating demand is high, summer cooling and hot water production matter, and the higher investment pays back over a longer period through lower electricity consumption. Heating film is strong where the house is well insulated with a low heat demand, and a small investment, quick installation and room-by-room control matter. We write about how the two systems work and their installation conditions in the comparison of heating film and heat pump, and about the installation of a specific newly built house in the case study heat pump or heating film. Other electric heating methods are compared on our electric heating page.