The only people who are unlikely to welcome the advent of underfloor heating must be slipper manufacturers.

With a lovely warm surface underfoot, this type of footwear could be rendered redundant as we thaw our tootsies on a winter’s day not in front of the fire, but on the floor.

Julian Hase is the managing director of specialised company The Tile Source and, in addition to selling all kinds of wall and floor tiles, the showroom in Aldershot also supplies a variety of underfloor heating systems.

Julian explained that there are several types of underfloor heating, and they can be a source of either primary or so-called comfort heating.

The former will effectively heat the whole room, while the latter is used as a kind of back-up heating.

“Contrary to what you might think, the feel of the floor is merely slightly warm to the touch and not at all hot,” he said.

“However, if you were to use underfloor heating in a bathroom, because of the amount of sanitary ware, to heat the room to a sufficient temperature you would have to have the floor so hot you wouldn’t be able to walk on it.

"So in that particular room it’s best to have underfloor heating as background comfort heating, rather like a warm mat on the parts that you walk on, along with, say, a heated towel rail.”

On the technical side of things, the simplest types are the electrical systems which use either foil sheeting or cables set in a supporting structure.

The different manufacturers each have their own specifications and recommendations, but, put simply, foil is a system of small sheets which are electrically heated and laid underneath the floor covering, which might be tiles or timber laminate.

Cables, in contrast, are set either in mats or in a grid, which is again placed underneath the floor surface.

All these types can be used as either primary or comfort heating and they are particularly suited to heating individual rooms, for example, when a kitchen is being refitted.

This is because they are run off the electricity system with their own individual thermostats and therefore do not need to be incorporated into the hot water and central heating system of the whole house.

Julian continued: “This type of heating is very effective in conservatories and can actually be cheaper to install than regular central heating which requires a new radiator and plumbing into the existing system as well as knocking a hole in the wall for the piping.

“It also scores highly in that people often put tiles on conservatory floors which are naturally cold to the touch. By using underfloor heating you avoid this.

“And because you can turn the heating on and off as you wish, you can warm the room up before you go in and then turn the heat off when you come out.

“It’s economical to run and might even mean that you find you make more use of the room, especially in the winter.”

Yet another type of underfloor heating uses a series of water pipes set in a concrete screed, on top of which the flooring is laid.

This kind of system is linked into the ‘central heating’ boiler and hot water system, so is normally used throughout a whole house.

It is an excellent choice for new builds or where a whole house is being refurbished.

It can be comparable in cost to installing a conventional central heating system, which makes it a very viable proposition.

Unfortunately however, for anyone thinking they can add solar panels for a cheap supply of hot water for the system, the quantity of hot water obtained in this way would not be sufficient to achieve the desired air temperature.

But why go for underfloor heating at all? Why not stick to good old radiators?

In fact, there are many benefits. First and foremost, the room becomes liberated, as all wall space becomes available for siting furniture or audio-visual products, with no radiators to collect dust or create hotspots (and much easier for wallpapering too).

“Underfloor heating makes for a draught-free environment,” said Julian.

“Because of the way they work, radiators form a draught as the warm air circulates, whereas with underfloor heating, the air is warmed evenly across the whole room, with no hot and cold zones.

“You could find that you are able to turn the thermostat down a little too, as your body will be a more even temperature from head to toe.

“With radiators you can get cold feet as the air is cooler near the floor.

“This can make the rest of you feel cold and so you then turn the heating up. You don’t get this with underfloor heating.”

So it seems that underfloor heating could actually save you money on fuel, although just how much depends on how warm you have the rooms, the length of time you have the heating turned on and the level of insulation throughout the house.

Julian explained: “There are specialised underfloor insulation products which you should lay to minimise inappropriate heat loss.

“Then as a flooring surface, I would recommend tiles, stone or laminate rather than carpet.

“This is because underlay itself is a good insulator and will block the heat coming through to a certain extent, meaning you have to use more power to achieve the same temperature.

“You can use carpet, but I think rugs on tiles are a more effective alternative.

“And don’t forget, your tiles won’t be cold like the ones you will have encountered before so the room will still be cosy.”

But where water underfloor heating really scores is in its consumption of fuel and therefore its carbon rating.

To heat a room to 20 degrees Celsius, water in radiators needs to be at 60-70 degrees, whereas for water-run underfloor heating it only needs to be at 35-50 degrees because the surface area for the radiant heat is so much larger.

“Some systems are very good on carbon emissions and fuel consumption,” said Julian.

“Of the kind using water piping, I particularly like Schluter Bekotec because the thickness of the screed is much thinner compared with some other makes.

“Obviously the screed has to be heated up first before the heat passes into the room and so a thinner screed means this process is quicker and uses less energy.”

As with most conventional central heating using radiators, each room has its own thermostat so it is possible to heat the various rooms to different temperatures, or even turn the heating off completely in individual rooms.

This again means fuel can be used sensibly and economically.

Julian said: “The way planning is going we are going to see requirements of zero carbon emissions for new homes by 2016, so underfloor heating systems will become a lot more commonplace in the future, particularly when coupled with other ways of obtaining the necessary energy, such as via the latest systems which actually extract heat from the ground or the air.

“And of course a good underfloor heating system will add value to your house when you come to sell it because it will be so fuel-efficient and consequently will receive a good energy rating in the Energy Performance Certifi-cates now required by law.”

So it looks as though the way forward towards comfortable, economical living while saving the planet is for more underfloor heating in our homes.

Perhaps slipper manufacturers should start to get worried.