Can I install underfloor heating in an older property?

Who doesn’t like the idea of padding around your property, feeling a comforting warmth under foot? Thanks to modern advancements, underfloor heating can be installed in the oldest of properties – often without disruptive and expensive excavation work. 

Under or over?

You need a little structural knowledge to work out what underfloor heating is most suitable. Floors comprise multiple layers, as follows:

In older and period homes, the common order is:

• floor covering or the original floor (vinyl, carpet, laminate, timber boards, brick, flagstones etc)

• board or plywood sub floor

• timber joints and associated supports/sleeper walls

• Ventilated void space, sometimes with insulation

• Earth or foundations 

In more modern homes, the common order is:

• floor covering (vinyl, carpet, laminate etc)

• screed layer

• insulation

• concrete sub floor

• damp course

• compacted hardcore/foundations

Once you have identified your floor composition, you’ll be able to decide which style of underfloor heating is more appropriate. Overlay underfloor heating can be applied directly on top of a sub floor, making it ideal for modern homes with solid sub floors, or if you want to avoid excavation work. 

Integrated underfloor heating sits within a sub floor and is easier to install if there are timber joist floors that are easily accessible. There is a third option – channelled underfloor heating. Also referred to as milling, this sees channels chiselled into a solid sub floor and the pipes laid flush into the grooves.

Wet or dry

As well as the ‘integrated or overlay’ question, there is a choice to make about how the underfloor heating is powered. There are two main options:

Wet underfloor heating: works using a system of pipes through which warm water flows. The pipes are connected to a gas-fired central heating system or an air-to-water heat pump.

Dry underfloor heating: uses a network of cables – laid at source or pre-embedded into thin mats – through which electricity flows and provides mains-powered heat. 

Installation costs versus running costs

Your budget and property structure may dictate what type of underfloor heating is best but it’s worth noting the costs attached to installation and day-to-day running.

Installation costs

• A wet underfloor heating system retrofitted in an already-built property costs £95 - £110 per m² to install, based on the latest Checkatrade figures.

• An electric underfloor heating system retrofitted in an already-built property costs £60 - £85 per m² to install, based on the latest Checkatrade figures.

Running costs

Consumer experts Which? published some underfloor heating costs in 2025 before the energy price cap increased in early January 2026. These figures will not be 100% accurate but they provide a good guide:

Dry underfloor heating

• Terraced house with underfloor heating in 3 rooms = £77.73 monthly cost*    

• Semi-detached house with underfloor heating in 4 rooms = £137.26 monthly cost*

• Detached house with underfloor heating in 5 rooms = £219.38 monthly cost*

*assumes 3 hours a day usage and a 30 day month

Wet underfloor heating

When it analysed running cost estimates provided by underfloor heating manufacturers, Which? found that it costs roughly 26p per hour to run wet underfloor heating in a 25m2 room (a medium-sized kitchen-diner). If this system ran for three hours a day, for roughly 6 months, this would cost around £140 in total. 

Whether you’re interested in the even heat, possible energy savings or just the luxurious feel, every home can benefit from some form of underfloor heating. If you’re searching for a new project where a heating overhaul is in your plans, contact us.