Infrared Underfloor Heating Installation, 135 m², Mátraszentimre – Hungary

In a 135 m² lightweight-structure house under construction in Mátraszentimre, our installers laid reflective foil on the walkable insulation, heating film on top of it and a floor sensor in each room, sealed the system with two layers of vapour barrier film, and a concrete layer then went on top. The heating is run by IQotthon control, remotely as well. In this report we show the installation of infrared underfloor heating step by step.

The site: a new house in Mátraszentimre

Mátraszentimre is a small, secluded village in the Mátra hills; this is where the 135 m² house was built that received full-surface infrared underfloor heating. The builder had prepared the site, so the installers could start work directly on the finished insulation.

The steps of the installation

1. Reflective foil: first the whole floor surface was covered with reflective foil so that the heat of the film is directed upward, towards the room.
2. Heating film: the strips of Intelligent Heating Film were placed at equal distances from one another, so the floor warms evenly and the comfort is the same everywhere in the heating season.
3. Floor sensor: in every room the sensor was placed on the film, because from there the control can follow the floor temperature fastest.
4. Control: IQotthon control was built in, so the heating of the house can be reached and adjusted from anywhere.
5. Vapour barrier film in two layers: two layers of vapour barrier film protect the heating while the concrete is poured.

Why did concrete go over the film?

Concrete is a good heat store: once warmed, it releases heat slowly, which evens out the floor temperature. Consumption does not rise because of this, since it is determined by the building's heat loss, not by whether the film goes under concrete or a dry floor. Only heating film that its manufacturer also approves for this purpose can be built in under concrete – when choosing heating, it is worth asking the installer for this in writing.

What does good insulation add?

Infrared heating warms the floor surface and the objects in the room, not the air, so the home can be pleasant at a lower air temperature. How much electricity that means is decided – as with any electric heating – mainly by the insulation of the building; in this well-insulated lightweight-structure house, a low annual consumption can be expected.

The electricity cost of heating can be reduced by solar panels, but today on different terms than when the house was built. Since 1 January 2024, new household solar systems in Hungary operate on gross metering, meaning the electricity fed in and the electricity drawn are accounted for separately. Net metering remained only for those who applied for the system by September 2023 and commission it by 1 January 2026 at the latest – and even that is valid for a maximum of 10 years.

A short film was also made about the installation:

Build-up of underfloor heating under a cold floor covering

From top to bottom, this is how the floor is built up when tiles or another cold floor covering go over the heating film:

1. cold floor covering
2. tile adhesive
3. 4–5 cm concrete or Rigidur dry screed
4. earthing mesh
5. vapour barrier film
6. Intelligent Heating Film
7. 5 mm reflective foil
8. thermal insulation (for example walkable polystyrene)
9. concrete substrate

You can read more of our underfloor heating installation reports here.

What else is worth knowing about underfloor heating with heating film

In 2020, at the time of the report, nearly 60% of our installation jobs were underfloor heating. Many people choose the heating film solution because it can be installed quickly, takes little from the floor height, and the investment is also favourable.

• Dust: radiant heating does not move the air, so it stirs up less dust – we wrote about this in detail in our article on airborne dust.
• Floor covering: with the right build-up, cold floor coverings, laminate parquet, carpet and ship's deck flooring can all go on a heated floor.
• Electrosmog: with professional installation the system's electromagnetic field stays within the Hungarian health limit; according to our own measurement, only a fraction of the limit can be measured above covered film, and it can be reduced further with EMF foil. We publish the measured values on our electrosmog page and in our measurement article.

Today we install 4th-generation heating film; we give a 15.5-year warranty on 4th-generation heating film if we carry out the installation.

More interesting articles

• Preparing for infrared heating – what a well-prepared site looks like before installation
• The benefits of the infrared sauna
• Which thermostat / room thermostat is the right one?