#underfloorheating

Step onto a cold tile floor first thing on a winter morning and you feel the problem straight away. Electric underfloor heating for bathrooms solves that daily discomfort without relying on bulky heaters, noisy fans or patchy warmth that never seems to reach where you need it most.

For many Australian homes, the bathroom is one of the coldest rooms in the house. Tiles hold the chill, ventilation can pull heat out quickly, and short heating bursts from lamps or wall units often warm the air rather than the floor. That is why more homeowners, renovators and builders are turning to underfloor systems that heat the room from the ground up.

Why electric underfloor heating works so well in bathrooms

Bathrooms are a natural fit for electric underfloor heating because they are usually compact spaces with hard floor finishes and clear heating demands. You do not need to heat a large open-plan area for hours. Instead, you want targeted comfort at the times of day the room is used most.

An electric system sits beneath the floor finish and produces radiant heat. Rather than forcing hot air around the room, it gently warms the floor surface, which then helps warm the space more evenly. That creates a very different feel from overhead heating. The warmth is quieter, more consistent and far more noticeable underfoot.

This matters in bathrooms because comfort is not just about air temperature. If the tiles are cold, the room still feels cold. A heated floor changes that experience immediately.

The comfort benefits go beyond warm feet

The first benefit people notice is simple - the floor feels warm instead of icy. But the longer-term appeal is broader than that.

Bathrooms with underfloor heating often feel more balanced overall. There are fewer cold spots near the floor, and the warmth is less abrupt than a wall-mounted fan heater. That can make early mornings and late-night routines much more comfortable, especially in family homes where the bathroom is used constantly.

It also supports cleaner design. Because the heating is hidden beneath the floor, there is no need to make space for a visible heater on the wall. That gives renovators and designers more freedom with layout, storage and finishes.

For households sensitive to dust movement, radiant heating can also feel gentler. Unlike fan-driven systems, it does not rely on blowing air around the room. That is one reason many homeowners see it as a more comfortable, low-fuss way to heat smaller interior spaces.

Electric underfloor heating for bathrooms and energy use

Energy efficiency is one of the main reasons people look closely at these systems, but this is where a bit of nuance helps. Electric underfloor heating can be efficient in bathrooms because it is usually heating a smaller area for set periods, not trying to maintain whole-home temperatures all day.

When paired with the right thermostat and programmed around real usage patterns, the system can warm the floor before the household wakes up and switch back when the room is no longer in use. That kind of zone control matters. A bathroom does not need to be heated the same way as a living room.

Floor construction, insulation, room size and the chosen set temperature all affect running costs. A well-prepared installation with insulation boards beneath the heating system will generally perform better and respond faster than one installed without them. Faster heat-up times usually mean less wasted energy.

The key point is that efficiency comes from system design as much as the product itself. Choosing the right output, the right controls and the right floor build-up makes a real difference.

What type of bathroom floor works best?

Tile is the most common finish over electric underfloor heating in bathrooms, and for good reason. Tiles conduct and retain heat well, making them ideal for undertile systems. Stone performs similarly, although heat-up times can vary depending on thickness.

If you are renovating, it is worth discussing the final floor finish early. The heating system needs to match the build-up and intended use of the room. In some projects, floor height matters. In others, the priority may be rapid response, especially in ensuite bathrooms or powder rooms that are used for shorter periods.

This is where specialist advice helps. Not every bathroom renovation is starting from the same point, and the best solution depends on whether the floor is being retiled, rebuilt or included in a new slab or screed design.

What to expect during installation?

In most bathroom projects, electric underfloor heating is easiest to install during a renovation or new build. The system is placed beneath the floor finish, then connected to a thermostat by a licensed electrician. In wet areas, correct waterproofing and compliance are essential, so the sequence of trades matters.

For tiled bathrooms, undertile heating is often the preferred option because it is designed specifically for this application. Where floors are being built up more substantially, inscreed or inslab formats may be suitable depending on the construction method.

Good installation is not just about laying heating cable or matting. It includes heat-loss considerations, substrate preparation, insulation, waterproofing compatibility and thermostat placement. A specialist supplier-installer can coordinate these details properly and help avoid common issues such as uneven heating performance or avoidable delays on site.

How long does it take to warm up?

That depends on the system type and floor build-up. Undertile systems in well-insulated bathroom floors can deliver a relatively quick response, while thicker screed or slab constructions generally take longer to heat but may retain warmth for longer too.

There is no single answer that suits every project. If you want a bathroom to warm quickly for morning use, that needs to be considered in the specification stage. If the room is part of a larger new build where thermal mass is already part of the design, a different approach may make more sense.

This is one of the biggest reasons to avoid treating underfloor heating as a generic add-on. The system should fit how the room will actually be used.

Is electric underfloor heating safe in bathrooms?

Yes, when it is designed and installed correctly for wet-area use. Bathrooms require particular attention to electrical safety, waterproofing and compliance, so product selection and installation standards matter.

A properly specified system is concealed beneath the floor and controlled through an appropriate thermostat, giving you precise temperature management without exposed hot surfaces or portable appliances in the room. That is a practical safety advantage over plug-in heaters, especially in busy family homes.

It is also why choosing an experienced specialist matters. Bathrooms are not the place for guesswork or improvised installation.

When it makes the most sense

Electric underfloor heating for bathrooms is especially worthwhile when you are already renovating, replacing tiles or planning a new bathroom from scratch. At that point, the floor is accessible, the waterproofing sequence can be managed correctly and the system can be integrated with minimal compromise.

It also suits homeowners who want comfort without visual clutter, builders who need reliable heating specifications, and property professionals looking for an upgrade that improves day-to-day liveability. For premium homes it adds a polished finish, but it is not only for high-end projects. In many cases, it is a practical upgrade that delivers a better daily experience in one of the most-used rooms in the house.

If the goal is whole-home heating on its own, bathroom underfloor heating may only be one part of the answer. But if the goal is to make bathrooms feel warmer, drier and more comfortable exactly when people use them, it is one of the most effective options available.

Choosing a system with support behind it

The product matters, but so does the support around it. Homeowners and trade buyers alike usually need more than a box on site. They need clear specifications, installation guidance, responsive service and confidence that help will be there if questions come up later.

That is where a specialist provider stands apart. Warmup Australia supports projects with product supply, accredited installation, technical documentation and aftercare, which is especially valuable in bathroom applications where sequencing and compliance need to be right from the start.

A warm bathroom changes the feel of the whole home in a way that is hard to appreciate until you use it every day. If you are planning a renovation or building new, it is worth thinking about the floor before the tiles go down - because this is one upgrade you feel immediately, every single morning.

The short answer is no — not if you install the right system and use a decent thermostat. The longer answer requires actually looking at the numbers, which most guides are reluctant to do.

Let us do that here.

What drives the running cost

An electric underfloor heating system is essentially a resistive heating element — it converts electricity into heat. The cost of running it depends on three things: the wattage of the system, how long it runs each day, and what you pay per kilowatt-hour of electricity.

A standard bathroom undertile system in a 6 square metre bathroom might have a total load of around 600 to 900 watts. Running continuously, that is 0.6 to 0.9 kWh per hour.

Australia's average residential electricity tariff sits around 28 to 35 cents per kWh in most states in 2026, though it varies meaningfully between states and between peak and off-peak periods.

At 30 cents per kWh, a 750-watt bathroom system running continuously would cost around 22.5 cents per hour.

But here is the thing: no properly configured underfloor heating system runs continuously. That is the whole point of the thermostat.

What the thermostat actually does

A floor thermostat does two jobs. The floor sensor monitors the temperature of the heating element directly, preventing it from exceeding a safe limit and protecting both the cable and your tile adhesive. The time and temperature programming controls when the system runs at all.

A well-programmed thermostat for a bathroom might look like this: on at 5:45am, off at 7:30am. On again at 7pm, off at 10pm. That is roughly three hours of run time per day during the winter months.

At 22.5 cents per hour, three hours per day costs around 67 cents. Over a 90-day winter season (June through August), that is about $60. Over a six-month heating season in Hobart or Canberra, perhaps $120.

But that assumes the system runs at full capacity for the entire scheduled period — which it will not. Once the floor reaches the set temperature, the system cycles off and only runs again when the sensor detects a temperature drop. In practice, actual run time during a scheduled window is typically 50 to 70 percent of the scheduled duration, depending on how well-insulated the floor is and the ambient temperature.

Real-world daily running costs for a standard Australian bathroom underfloor heating system with a programmed thermostat fall between 20 and 50 cents per day in most parts of the country.

City by city: what Australian homeowners actually spend

Canberra and alpine NSW: The longest heating season in the country — May through September in most suburbs, potentially April through October in elevated areas like Braidwood and Cooma. At 30 to 45 cents per day over 150 to 180 days, annual running cost for a single bathroom: $45 to $80.

Melbourne and regional VIC: A genuine winter, typically April to October for heating purposes. At 25 to 40 cents per day over 120 to 150 days: $30 to $60 per bathroom per year.

Hobart and regional TAS: Similar to Melbourne in season length, slightly colder overnight temperatures. $50 to $90 per bathroom per year is a realistic figure.

Sydney and coastal NSW: Milder, shorter season — typically May through August. $20 to $40 per bathroom per year.

Adelaide: July overnight temperatures around 7 to 9°C make floor heating genuinely useful for four to five months. $25 to $50 per bathroom per year.

Brisbane, Gold Coast, and South East QLD: Short winter season, mild nights aside from Toowoomba and elevated areas. $15 to $35 per bathroom per year for most homes.

Perth: Short but reliably cold winter — June and July primarily. $15 to $30 per bathroom per year for a slab-on-ground home.

How does this compare to other heating options?

A typical reverse-cycle split system air conditioner running in heating mode in a living room consumes 1,000 to 2,500 watts depending on capacity and outdoor temperature. Running for three hours per evening through winter costs $2 to $4 per day — several times more than a bathroom floor heating system.

Gas ducted heating is often cited as cheaper to run than electric heating, and per kWh it is — but it heats the air in the room rather than the surface you touch. You typically need to run it longer to achieve comfort, and it does nothing for the floor temperature that makes getting out of bed in winter the unpleasant experience most Australians know.

Radiant floor heating warms the floor surface directly. When you step onto a warm floor at 6am in a Canberra winter, you do not care that the air temperature in the room is still 14 degrees — your feet are warm and that is where it matters first.

The smart thermostat factor

Smart WiFi thermostats have changed the economics of running electric underfloor heating systems more than any other single development. The ability to schedule heating from your phone, set different schedules for different days, and have the system auto-adjust based on whether you are home makes a meaningful difference to annual running costs.

Warmup's app-controlled thermostats, for example, allow scheduling down to 15-minute intervals across a 7-day program. The energy monitoring feature tracks actual consumption in real time, so you can see exactly what the system is costing and adjust accordingly. Some models include geolocation features — the system detects when your phone is approaching home and starts warming the floor before you arrive.

This level of control means the floor heating system only runs when it genuinely needs to. There is no forgetting to turn it off before a holiday. There is no running through spring because you did not update the schedule. You set it once, you adjust it occasionally, and you stop thinking about it.

What about inslab heating?

Inslab floor heating in a full home is harder to cost in the same way because it covers larger areas and is typically configured in zones. An inslab system heating a large open-plan living area will consume more electricity than a bathroom undertile system — but it replaces other heating entirely for those spaces rather than supplementing it.

The efficiency advantage of inslab heating is that the slab stores heat. In a well-insulated home, you can run the system at off-peak electricity rates overnight, charge the slab with heat, and draw on that stored warmth through the morning peak hours without the system running at all. Paired with rooftop solar, this becomes one of the most cost-effective whole-home heating strategies available in Australia.

The honest bottom line

Underfloor heating is not expensive to run if you do two things: use a programmable thermostat, and schedule the system to run only when you need it.

This is the question that comes up most often when Australian homeowners or builders start looking seriously at underfloor heating — and the honest answer is that the right system is almost always determined by one thing: when in the life of the building you are making the decision.

Let us go through both properly.

What undertile heating actually is

Undertile heating is an electric heating mat or cable system that sits directly beneath your tile finish — between the tile adhesive and the substrate beneath it. It does not go in the slab. It does not require any structural work. It lays flat across the floor, gets embedded in tile adhesive during the tiling process, and connects to a thermostat on the wall.

This is the right system for:

Any bathroom or kitchen renovation in an existing home. The floor is already there. You are not pouring concrete. You tile, and the heating mat goes down before the tiles do.

Apartment renovations. Undertile floor heating adds as little as 3mm to the floor build-up, which is within the tolerance of virtually every apartment renovation in Australia.

Quick installations. A licensed electrician can commission a standard bathroom undertile system in a single visit.

Any room where you are replacing tiles anyway. If the old tiles are coming up, the cost of adding undertile heating is minimal compared to the total renovation spend.

What it is not suited to: new homes where the slab has not been poured yet. You can still use undertile heating in a new home — but if you are at the construction stage, you are leaving performance and value on the table.

What inslab heating actually is

Inslab heating embeds electric heating cables directly in the structural concrete slab before it is poured. The cables are fixed to the reinforcing steel mesh at the correct spacing, the cable ends are routed to where the thermostat locations will be, and then the slab is poured over the top. The system is invisible. There is nothing to maintain. It will outlast the building.

Because the cables are embedded in a large volume of concrete — which has excellent thermal mass — inslab heating delivers radiant floor heating across the entire floor area with exceptional evenness. There are no warm spots near the cable and cold spots between runs. The slab absorbs heat and releases it slowly and consistently.

This is the right system for:

New homes being built on a concrete slab — which covers the majority of residential construction in Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, and large portions of Melbourne and Sydney's outer suburbs.

Any stage of construction where the slab pour has not yet happened. The window to install inslab heating is the reinforcing steel stage. Miss it and you cannot go back.

Builders and developers who want to offer underfloor heating as a standard or premium inclusion. The cost per home is low when done at scale, and it is a genuine point of difference in a competitive market.

Large floor areas. For an open-plan living zone of 50 square metres or more, undertile systems can be expensive. Inslab heating covers the same area at a lower cost per square metre when installed during construction.

What inslab heating is not suited to: renovation projects, existing homes, or apartments. Once the slab is poured, it is poured. You cannot add inslab heating to an existing floor without demolition.

The key difference most people miss

Undertile heating warms quickly and cools quickly. Because the heating element is close to the floor surface, with only tile adhesive and tile between the cable and the room, surface temperature responds fast — typically 20 to 40 minutes from cold to comfortable. It is ideal for a bathroom that you use for 30 minutes in the morning and not again until evening.

Inslab heating takes longer to reach temperature — typically one to three hours — but retains heat for much longer. It is better suited to living areas and open-plan spaces that you want to maintain at a consistent temperature for extended periods. In homes with good insulation, an inslab system can warm the floor overnight using off-peak electricity and the slab will still be warm at lunchtime.

Understanding this difference helps you choose not just the system, but the thermostat scheduling strategy. Both systems benefit enormously from a smart thermostat — the kind that lets you set precise daily heating windows so the floor is warm exactly when you need it.

What about inscreed heating?

Inscreed heating sits between the two. The cables are embedded in a separate screed layer poured over the existing slab, rather than in the structural slab itself. This means it can be used in renovations and extensions where a screed pour is feasible — typically in ground-floor extensions, laundries, and large living areas where there is enough floor height to accommodate the additional build-up.

Inscreed systems have better thermal mass than undertile but less than inslab. They take longer to heat up than undertile but respond faster than inslab. For heritage homes with high ceilings and a budget for a full ground-floor renovation, inscreed heating can be the right answer.

So which one do you need?

If you are renovating: undertile heating. Full stop.

If you are building new on a concrete slab: inslab heating, installed before the pour. If you miss that window, undertile heating once your floors are finished.

If you are building a new home with a suspended timber floor: neither inslab nor inscreed is feasible. Underlaminate heating (beneath floating timber or laminate) or undertile in the wet areas is the right solution.

If you are renovating a ground-floor extension and can accommodate a screed pour: inscreed heating is worth considering, particularly for large living areas.

It is one of the first questions every Australian homeowner asks, and one of the hardest to answer in a single sentence — because the cost of underfloor heating depends almost entirely on what you are installing, where you are installing it, and when in the build or renovation you decide to do it.

What we can do is break it down honestly, category by category, so you know what to expect before you speak to a supplier or electrician.

The Product Itself

For a standard bathroom undertile heating system — a heating mat or cable that sits beneath your tiles and connects to a thermostat on the wall — the product cost for a 5 to 8 square metre bathroom typically falls between $350 and $650 depending on the brand, system type, and whether you need a mat or loose cable layout.

Add a quality thermostat to that. A basic programmable model starts around $150 to $200. A smart WiFi thermostat — the kind you control from your phone and that monitors energy use automatically — sits between $250 and $400. Thermostats are not optional for tile systems: they protect the heating element from overheating and they are how you keep running costs manageable. Do not skip it, and do not fit a cheap one.

So for a complete bathroom underfloor heating system — mat or cable plus thermostat — you are realistically looking at $500 to $900 at the product level, depending on brand and thermostat choice. That is for a single, standard-sized bathroom.

Installation

The product cost is only part of the picture. In Australia, all final electrical connections — the thermostat, the power supply, the connection to your switchboard — must be made by a licensed electrician. This is not optional and it is not negotiable. It is a requirement under AS/NZS 3000 Wiring Rules in every state and territory.

The good news is that the physical laying of the heating mat or cable — unrolling it across the floor, positioning it around obstacles, setting it in tile adhesive before the tiles go down — is straightforward enough that a tiler can complete that part while the electrician handles the wiring.

Electrician costs for a standard bathroom underfloor heating system installation in a major Australian city typically run between $250 and $600. More complex installations — second bathroom, inslab heating, zoned systems — will cost more. Regional areas can vary either way.

Add it up: a single bathroom in an Australian home, fully installed with a quality thermostat, typically comes to between $750 and $1,500 all in. That is the realistic number.

Inslab Heating: A Completely Different Cost Structure

If you are building a new home on a concrete slab, the cost calculation changes significantly — and in your favour.

Inslab heating embeds cables directly in the structural slab before it is poured. The cables cost more than a mat system, and the layout requires a technical design, but you eliminate almost all labour cost beyond the cabling itself because the electrician is already on site for the build. The cost per square metre drops dramatically compared to retrofitting.

Inslab heating for an entire home is typically quoted per project, based on the number of zones, the home's floor area, and the number of thermostats required. For a full four-bedroom home, you might be looking at $3,000 to $8,000 installed depending on size, zone configuration, and builder margin. Spread across the lifetime of the home — and that system will last as long as the slab does — it is exceptional value.

The critical point: installing inslab floor heating after the concrete is poured is effectively impossible without demolition. The time to include it in a new build is during the reinforcing steel stage, before the pour. If you are building now and not including it, you are locking yourself out.

Inscreed And Underlaminate Systems

Inscreed heating — where cables are embedded in a separate screed layer poured over the structural slab — is used in extensions and renovations where a screed pour is feasible. The cost sits between undertile and inslab, and depends heavily on the screed depth and floor area.

Underlaminate heating, for timber and floating floor applications, is priced similarly to undertile in terms of product cost, with slightly lower installation complexity.

Undercarpet systems — ultra-thin mats that install between carpet and underlay — are typically the most affordable floor heating systems to purchase, often $200 to $400 for a standard bedroom, though the thermostat and electrical connection cost remains the same.

Running Costs: Not What You Might Expect

The initial cost is one number. The running cost is another, and this is where Australian homeowners often get a pleasant surprise.

A bathroom undertile system running on a scheduled thermostat — set to warm the floor for an hour before your alarm goes off, then again in the evening — typically costs between $0.20 and $0.50 per day during winter, depending on your electricity tariff and the size of the floor.

Over the course of a Melbourne or Canberra winter, you might spend $40 to $80 running the system. For a Hobart home with a six-month heating season, perhaps $60 to $100. For a Brisbane or Perth bathroom where the system runs for only three months of the year, annual running costs can be as low as $20 to $40.

The reason the running cost is low is not because the system uses no electricity — it is because you are heating a floor, not a room, and because a good thermostat prevents the system from running any more than it needs to.

The Real Question: Is It Worth It?

At $750 to $1,500 installed for a bathroom, underfloor heating is not a trivial purchase. But it is far less than most Australians assume before they look into it, and it delivers a daily comfort improvement that heating options costing five times more often cannot match.

A ducted gas system heats the air in a room. Radiant floor heating heats the floor surface — which is what your body actually touches when you step out of bed at 6am in a Canberra winter. Those are different experiences, and anyone who has used heated floors for a winter will tell you they are not going back.

If you are building a new home in Australia and underfloor heating is on your list of features to consider, there is one thing worth knowing before you sign anything: the window to include it at minimum cost is smaller than most people realise, and once it closes, it does not reopen without significant expense.

Here is what you need to know before the slab is poured.

The slab pour is the moment

Inslab electric underfloor heating works by embedding heating cables in the structural concrete slab before the concrete is poured over the top. The cables are fixed to the reinforcing steel mesh at the correct spacing, the cable ends are routed to the thermostat locations in the walls, and then the slab goes in over the top. The system is invisible, permanently protected, and will last as long as the building.

The cost to do this at the reinforcing steel stage is a fraction of what it costs to try to add floor heating after the fact. You are paying for cable, a few hours of electrician time for installation and routing, and a technical design from the supplier. The electrician is already on site. The reinforcing contractor is already on site. The concrete pour is already being scheduled.

After the slab is poured, the only way to add in-slab heating is to demolish the slab. This does not happen. In practice, post-pour inslab heating is not available.

Why some builders do not mention it

Not every volume builder includes inslab heating as a standard conversation item for two reasons. First, it adds a line to the quote that can make a house-and-land package look more expensive at comparison stage, even if the total lifetime value is strongly positive. Second, some builders subcontract electrical work separately, and the conversation about heating infrastructure may not happen until the project is already underway.

This is not necessarily bad faith — it is often simply a function of how the construction industry quotes and sequences work. But the result is that many buyers who would have gladly included inslab heating in a new build find out about it six months after they have moved in.

Ask the question before you sign. Ask it specifically and early: “Can we include inslab electric floor heating, and at what stage does it need to be decided?” A good builder will have a clear answer. If the answer is vague, contact the heating supplier directly to understand the sequence and cost.

What the technical design looks like

Inslab heating is not just cable dropped into a slab. It requires a technical design that specifies cable spacing, zone boundaries, cable lengths, thermostat locations, and load calculations for each zone.

Warmup’s technical team, and others, provide this as a free service for new build projects. The design accounts for the floor plan, the expected floor finish over the slab (tiles have lower thermal resistance than carpet; timber is higher), and the number of independent zones the homeowner wants.

Most families want at minimum three zones in a new home: wet areas (bathrooms and laundry), the open-plan living zone, and optionally the bedrooms. Each zone has its own thermostat, which means each can be controlled independently — and with smart WiFi thermostats, the entire system is manageable from your phone.

The cost conversation

For a standard four-bedroom single-storey home in a growth corridor — think Springfield or Ormiston in SEQ, Craigieburn or Werribee in Melbourne, Alkimos or Ellenbrook in Perth — the installed cost of inslab heating for the full home at the construction stage is typically in the range of $4,000 to $8,000 depending on floor area, zone count, and thermostat specification.

On a $600,000 to $700,000 house-and-land package, that represents roughly one to one-and-a-half percent of the build cost. On a 30-year mortgage, the additional weekly repayment is negligible. The system adds measurably to the appraised value of the home, lasts indefinitely, costs a small amount per day to run, and eliminates the cold-floor problem permanently.

It is one of the most cost-effective inclusions available at the new-build stage. The reason it is not universal is simply that people do not know to ask for it.

After the build: undertile is the answer

If you have already moved into a new home and the slab is poured, you have not missed out entirely. Undertile heating can be installed during any bathroom or kitchen renovation, at any time, in any existing home. It will not give you the whole-floor thermal mass performance of inslab heating in a living area, but for bathrooms and kitchens — the rooms where the cold-floor problem is most acute — it works exactly as well.

If you are thinking about underfloor heating for the first time and you are wondering where to start, nearly everyone gives you the same answer: the bathroom. And they are right — but the reason why is worth understanding, because it changes how you think about adding more rooms later.

Why the bathroom is always first

Australian homes are not cold the way northern European homes are cold. We do not have minus-twenty winters. What we have are eight to fifteen degree overnight temperatures in most of the major southern cities — cold enough that getting out of bed and walking across a tile floor in bare feet is genuinely unpleasant, but not so cold that the whole-house heating problem dominates every decision.

The bathroom concentrates that problem. Tile holds cold better than any other common floor material. It does not warm up from ambient temperature the way timber does. A bathroom that sits at 12 degrees overnight will still feel cold underfoot at 7am even if the house has warmed to 18. And bathrooms are where you are most exposed — wet feet, minimal clothing, no way to avoid the floor.

This is why undertile heating in a bathroom is the most impactful comfort upgrade most Australians can make per dollar spent. You are solving the problem at the exact point where the cold is actually felt.

What about the kitchen?

Kitchens are the second most common installation, and for good reason. Tiled kitchens — particularly in older Melbourne and Sydney homes where tessellated tiles or slate extend from the bathroom across the kitchen floor — present the same cold-floor problem. In a kitchen, you stand for longer periods. Cold tiles become fatiguing in a way they are not in a bathroom where you are moving.

Kitchen undertile heating is an excellent second installation. It is also a natural extension of a bathroom renovation project — if the tiler is already on site and the electrician is already scheduled, adding the kitchen at the same time reduces both the cost per square metre and the disruption.

The caveat: avoid heating beneath the refrigerator, dishwasher, and cabinetry with plywood bases. These areas do not benefit from heating and the element should not be installed beneath fixed appliances. Most installation guides and technical support teams will walk you through the exclusion zones.

Bedrooms: often overlooked, high reward in cold climates

In Canberra, Hobart, Ballarat, and similar high-altitude or inland cold-climate locations, carpeted bedrooms are often where Australians feel the cold most acutely — not the tile floor in the bathroom, but the moment when your feet hit carpet that has been sitting at 8 degrees all night.

Undercarpet heating solves this without requiring any tiling. An ultra-thin mat installs between the carpet and underlay during carpet installation or replacement, connects to a thermostat, and provides gentle radiant warmth through the carpet pile. The floor sensor on the thermostat prevents overheating, and the soft warmth through carpet on a Hobart winter morning is distinctly different from the sharp cold it replaces.

For families with young children who play on the floor in winter, bedroom and living area floor heating is not a luxury — it is a genuine quality-of-life improvement.

Living areas: where inslab heating shines

The large open-plan living, dining, and kitchen zones that dominate Australian residential design present a challenge for undertile heating systems because the floor area is large and the energy cost of heating it all through tile is significant.

This is where inslab heating — installed during new home construction — makes the most sense. A concrete slab heated from within is not trying to warm just the tile surface. It is warming a large thermal mass that releases heat slowly and evenly. Combined with good insulation, double glazing, and a smart thermostat that pre-heats the slab during off-peak hours, an inslab system in an open-plan living zone delivers whole-room comfort without the running cost of heating the air.

For existing homes, a floor-to-ceiling renovation that includes a new screed layer can make inscreed heating feasible for large living areas. But the floor height addition needs to be accounted for carefully.

The rooms to skip (or do last)

Formal dining rooms used twice a week. Spare bedrooms rarely occupied. Hallways that people walk through but do not inhabit. These are not worth the installation cost until the rooms you actually live in are done.

The logical order for most Australian homes: bathroom first, kitchen second, master bedroom third if you are in a cold climate. Living areas as part of a new build or major renovation. Everything else is a bonus.

A note on zoning

When you have multiple rooms with underfloor heating systems, each requires its own thermostat — or you need a multi-zone controller. This is not a limitation; it is an advantage. The bathroom does not need to run at the same time as the bedroom. The thermostat schedules for each room can be set independently, which means you only run each zone when it is being used.

Apartment bathroom renovations are one of the most common installation scenarios for underfloor heating in Australia — and one of the most misunderstood. If you own an apartment in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, or any other capital city and you are planning a bathroom renovation, here is what actually applies to your situation.

The short answer on body corporate approval

The question most apartment owners ask first: do I need body corporate permission to install underfloor heating?

In most cases, no — provided you are using an undertile heating system (not a hydronic or water-based system, which would require penetrating the slab), the installation is done within your lot, and you are using a licensed electrician for all electrical connections.

The body corporate's jurisdiction typically covers structural elements, common property, and anything that affects the building's shared systems — plumbing stacks, electrical risers, fire services. An undertile heating mat that sits beneath your bathroom tiles and connects to your apartment's electrical supply through the wall is no more a body corporate matter than replacing your hot water system.

That said, strata schemes vary and the specific provisions of your owners corporation rules should be checked before you begin. In virtually all cases, a licensed electrician's sign-off on the installation is all the documentation you need.

The floor build-up question

Apartment renovations have one constraint that freestanding homes do not: floor height. There is usually a maximum total floor build-up allowed above the original concrete slab — particularly at doorways, where a height difference between rooms creates a trip hazard and may not comply with your strata scheme's requirements for maintaining accessibility.

Undertile heating mats add approximately 3mm to the floor build-up — less than a thick tile adhesive bed. For most apartment bathrooms, this is within tolerance and requires no structural accommodation.

If you are changing tile format — for example, moving from small mosaic tiles to large-format 600x600mm or 900x900mm tiles — the tile adhesive depth may change more than the heating mat does. The total build-up calculation should include the heating mat, tile adhesive, and tile thickness compared to what was previously installed.

A Warmup technical team member or the specifying tiler can confirm the total build-up for your specific tile and system choice before work begins.

The weight question

Concrete slabs in Australian apartment buildings are designed to carry significant dead loads — heavy furniture, full bookshelves, people. A tile floor is already a substantial dead load. A tile floor with an undertile heating mat beneath it adds negligible weight — the heating mat itself is extremely lightweight.

This is not a structural concern in a concrete apartment building. If you are in a heritage building with timber floors, the conversation is different — but the buildings that present weight constraints rarely have tiles in the bathroom to begin with.

What thermostat to use

Apartment bathrooms in Australian cities — particularly in the compact bathroom designs common in apartments built in the 2000s and 2010s — benefit greatly from the DUAL thermostat that manages both the floor heating and a heated towel rail from a single wall unit. Wall space in a compact bathroom is often limited, and replacing two controllers with one keeps the wall looking clean.

The thermostat must be mounted outside the wet area zones as defined by AS/NZS 3000. In a small apartment bathroom, this typically means placing it near the door or on the wall opposite the shower — a licensed electrician will confirm the correct location.

Smart WiFi thermostats are particularly useful in apartments where the occupant may be in and out of the city for work, travelling frequently, or managing the property as an investment. Remote control and scheduling via phone means the system can be turned off entirely when the apartment is empty and set to warm the floor for a scheduled arrival.

Renting your apartment

Underfloor heating adds measurable appeal to a rental property. In Hobart, Canberra, and Melbourne's inner suburbs — where rental competition is high and bathroom quality is a genuine differentiation factor — warm bathroom floors command consistent positive feedback from tenants and can support rental premiums in the right markets.

Warmup's smart thermostat remote access allows a landlord or property manager to monitor the system remotely without access to the tenant's phone. The system can be scheduled to sensible defaults at the start of a tenancy with the tenant given full control to adjust through their own downloaded app.

The bottom line for apartment owners

Undertile heating in an apartment bathroom is a routine installation in Australia. It requires a licensed electrician, a thermostat with a floor sensor, and confirmation that your strata rules do not contain unusual restrictions on internal renovations. In the overwhelming majority of Australian apartments, none of these present any obstacle.

The cost — typically $750 to $1,200 all in for a standard apartment bathroom — is modest relative to what a full bathroom renovation costs and significant relative to what it improves. A bathroom that feels genuinely comfortable at 6am in July is a different thing from one that does not, and in Hobart, Canberra, and Melbourne that difference is experienced every single morning for five or six months of the year.

Rising energy prices in Ireland have encouraged homeowners to explore smarter heating solutions that deliver comfort while reducing long-term costs. One of the most efficient options available today is an underfloor heating system in Dublin. This modern heating method provides consistent warmth across the home, reduces wasted energy, and improves overall living comfort, making it a popular choice for both new builds and renovations.

Why Underfloor Heating Is Energy Efficient?

An energy efficient underfloor heating system works by distributing heat evenly through pipes or electric mats installed beneath the floor surface. Unlike traditional radiators that heat air unevenly, this system warms the entire room from the ground up, allowing homeowners to maintain comfort at lower temperatures.

Key benefits include:

Even heat distribution across all rooms

Reduced heat loss compared to radiators

Lower water temperature requirements for operation

Improved compatibility with renewable energy systems

Enhanced indoor comfort with steady warmth

Because the system operates efficiently at lower temperatures, it naturally reduces energy consumption over time.

How It Helps Reduce Energy Bills in Dublin Homes?

Installing an underfloor heating system installation in Ireland can significantly reduce household energy bills. The system’s design ensures minimal heat wastage and maximum efficiency, especially in well-insulated properties.

It helps save energy by:

Allowing thermostats to run at lower settings

Eliminating cold spots in rooms

Supporting zoned heating control for individual spaces

Reducing reliance on high-energy radiator systems

Improving overall heat retention within the property

For homeowners in colder regions like Dublin, this creates a comfortable indoor environment without excessive energy usage.

Ideal Heating Solution for Irish Homes

The underfloor heating for homes in Ireland is designed to suit the country’s climate, offering reliable performance throughout the year. Whether used in bathrooms, kitchens, or entire living spaces, it provides consistent comfort while maintaining efficiency.

Many experts recommend it as the best underfloor heating system for Irish homes, especially when combined with modern insulation and smart heating controls.

Professional Installation Matters

To achieve maximum efficiency, it is important to hire experienced underfloor heating installers in Dublin. Proper planning, insulation, and system design play a crucial role in long-term performance.

A professional underfloor heating installation ensures:

Correct system layout and zoning

Optimal energy efficiency from day one

Reduced maintenance issues

Long-lasting heating performance

Better return on investment

Choosing skilled installers helps homeowners avoid costly mistakes and ensures the system runs efficiently for years.

Understanding Underfloor Heating Cost in Dublin

The underfloor heating cost in Dublin depends on property size, flooring type, and system choice. While installation costs may be higher initially compared to traditional heating, the long-term savings on energy bills make it a valuable investment.

Factors affecting cost include:

Size of the property

Type of heating system (wet or electric)

Insulation quality

Installation complexity

Get Expert Advice Today

If you are considering upgrading your home heating system, now is the right time to explore the benefits of underfloor heating. You can easily get underfloor heating quote tailored to your property needs and budget.