Film That Is Intelligent: Self-Regulating Heating Film

An "intelligent" heating film is self-regulating: if something that retains heat covers a section of the floor and the temperature there starts to rise, the film reduces its own output in that section, while continuing to heat unchanged on the free surfaces. This protects against overheating and also moderates consumption.

From modern heating we expect above all even, pleasant warmth and economical running. Fewer people think that intelligence can also be a criterion - yet with infrared heating built into the floor it is particularly important. Below we explain why. (We write separately about smart home control of heating.)

How does infrared radiation heat from the floor?

The basis of infrared heating is infrared radiation, which is invisible to the eye and also carries the warmth of sunlight. In underfloor heating, the heating film warms the layers above it - the subfloor and the floor covering - and the surface of the floor radiates the heat on into the room. If an object that insulates is placed on the floor, the heat beneath it cannot escape, and the surface there can overheat. Self-regulating film is the answer to this situation.

Infrared heating can be set up in several ways: as underfloor heating, ceiling heating, wall heating or outdoor heating.

What does self-regulating film do when furniture is placed on it?

When this article was published, in 2022, we were selling 3rd-generation heating film, and Tamás Tóth, managing director and infrared heating expert, highlighted self-regulation as its most important property. If a mattress, a cardboard box or furniture without legs is placed on the floor, the temperature beneath it starts to rise - as with earlier types. The conductive nanoparticles in the film's heating layer, however, move further apart as it warms, so less current flows through that section, and it operates there at a lower output and lower temperature. The output of uncovered surfaces does not change.

Smart, therefore more economical

Self-regulation also benefits running costs, since where full output is not needed, the film draws less electricity. In 2022 Tamás Tóth put it this way: the consumption of such a heating film is 20-25% lower than that of the earlier, less advanced types. That was based on their experience at the time; actual consumption always depends on the heat loss of the house, the floor covering and the use.

Today: 4th-generation heating film

Development has continued since: today we install 4th-generation heating film, which is made with an enlarged carbon-paste heating surface and a full-width contact strip. Self-regulation has been retained with this film as well: if furniture or a rug covers a section of it, it automatically reduces its output there. We give a 15.5-year warranty on 4th-generation heating film if we carry out the installation. If you are planning for more than two or three years, when choosing heating film it is worth looking at the generation and the installation too; we have also written about the differences between heating film and the infrared panel.