Underfloor Heating in Australia: Buyer's Guide
What is Underfloor Heating?
Underfloor heating hides the heat source beneath your finished floor, turning the entire surface into a gentle radiant panel. Instead of blowing hot air around the room, the floor itself emits long-wave warmth that rises evenly and keeps toes at 24–29 °C. Because the system runs at much lower temperatures than radiators or ducted air, it can hit comfort points with fewer kilowatt-hours—especially when paired with solar power or a home battery.
The Radiant Difference
Conventional ducted systems warm the air first, then hope that heat stays down where people live. Radiant floors flip the script: they warm objects and bodies directly, so you feel cosy at a lower thermostat setting. Less stratification means no chilly ankles or stuffy ceilings, fewer airborne allergens, and quieter rooms (the only moving part is a silent thermostat relay).
Far-Infrared Mats (Warmset): Far-Infrared (FIR) Mats – ultra-thin ribbons that sit within tile adhesive, screed or levelling compound. Warmset’s 3 mm FIR mats use 80–120 W / m² and heat up in 5–10 minutes.
Resistance-Cable Mats: Single or twin-core copper wires (copper measures just 0.75 to 1.25 mm in thickness),spaced in a mesh. They must run hotter (140–200 W / m²) to push heat through the same floor and take longer to feel warm.
Hydronic Water Loops: Hydronic systems pump warm water (45-55 °C) through polyethylene pipes embedded in a 50–70 mm slab. When paired with a heat-pump they can be energy-efficient, but they respond slowly, cost more up-front, and require annual servicing.
Why Underfloor Heating is Surging in Australia
Sustainability and green engineering are embedded in Filmcutter and Warmset operations. Our production facility in Italy, powered by up to 300KW/day of solar energy, employs solventless, eco-conscious processes that minimize environmental impact while maintaining unmatched quality. For our mats, we use 100% recyclable materials and have eliminated copper entirely in our heating strip, thereby reducing resource consumption and waste.
By embracing growing electrification trends in Australia, Warmset Australia aligns with forward-thinking architects, builders and homeowners that want to shift away from fossil fuels. Our far-infrared underfloor heating solutions can be powered by renewable electricity, helping reduce carbon footprints and cutting your electricity bill.
Every Warmset mat reflects a commitment to employ sustainability and responsible innovation at every stage—from product engineering and production methods to end-of-life recycling.
Electrification policies turn up the heat
Victoria’s Amendment VC250 bans new gas connections for dwellings that need a planning permit from 1 Jan 2024, effectively mandating all-electric space-heating in ~50,000 new homes a year. The National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 already tightened whole-of-house energy-use budgets, and the 2025 draft goes further on thermal performance. Other states are signalling similar moves, so builders and architects are searching for efficient electric heat sources now.
Rooftop solar + batteries make “free heat” a reality
Australia added 3 GW of rooftop PV in 2024 and now counts 185,000+ home-battery systems—up 40 % year-on-year. Underfloor heating matches the solar production curve: charge floors during sunny hours, draw almost nothing at night.
Moreover, from 1 July 2025 the Albanese Government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program will slice around 30 % off the up-front cost of installing a home, small-business or community battery system. The rebate is delivered through the existing Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) and—unlike previous incentives—is uncapped, so every eligible installation can claim it.
How much is on offer?
- $372 per usable kWh in 2025 (about $330 / kWh after admin fees).
- The incentive steps down each year until it ends in 2030.
- A typical 10 kWh battery will attract circa $3,300 off the install price in 2025.
Energy bills and health drive consumer demand
Ducted air systems can burn up to 50 % more kWh than other radiant floors and blow allergens around. FIR and hydronic systems radiate gentle heat at 24–29 °C floor temperatures, cutting peaks on fragile winter grids and improving indoor air quality.
Installation has become plug-and-play
Thin FIR mats slip under tiles or engineered timber with minimal build-up, making them viable for renovations as well as new builds. Smart thermostats and app control now ship as standard, so homeowners see real-time running costs from day one.
Technology Showdown
FIR vs Electric Cable vs Hydronic
Three very different technologies compete for your floor space in Australia. Below we compare Warmset’s Italian-made far-infrared (FIR) mats with traditional electric resistance cables and hydronic water loops—looking at speed, efficiency, and installation depth. If you’re time-poor, skim the table; if you want the more detail, visit our dedicated sub-pages under the Info Hub – Warmset Australia comparing Warmset with hydronic systems and electric cable systems in more depth.
Warmset FIR Heating
Warmset’s patented laminated ribbons emit long-wave far-infrared heat that penetrates through your flooring. The 17mm wide and flat constructin of the heating element radiates at least 200% more thermal energy than a thin cable. The result is a fast 5–10-minute warm-up and a much lower watt-density than legacy cables—so you reach comfort at a lower kWh cost. EMF levels are certified Zero EMF. The mat is factory-fused and individually QA-tested, backed by a lifetime warranty. Suitable for all spaces both in new build and renovations.
Electric Cable Heating
Cable mats rely on single or twin-core copper wire that must run hotter (140–200 W / m²) to push warmth through the same floor finish. That means a slower warm-up time and higher peak draw on your circuit breakers. Cable kits are cheap up-front and fine for cold, dense tiles, but they can consume up to around 30 % more energy over a winter season. Most products are imported from China or India with spot-testing only, and warranties range 10–25 years. Best for low budget, small-area installs where speed of fit-out matters more than running cost.
Hydronic Water Loops
Hydronic systems circulate warm water (about 45-55°C) through PEX pipes often embedded in a 50–70 mm slab, an outdated method of embedding the pipes in the actual foundation slab, 500 – 700 mm deep. If anything breaks – and it does – repairs require substantial work breaking into the slab. When paired with a heat-pump the system can be efficient in terms of running costs, but you pay in other currencies: extremely slow response, high installation cost, slab-thickness constraints, excessive and unnecessary thermal mass, and mandatory annual servicing of pumps, valves and glycol. Retrofitting is rarely practical.
Installation Overview
From Slab to Smart Thermostat
Lucky for renovators and builders alike, modern under-floor systems no longer demand blocks of concrete (“in-slab”) or specialist screeds. Warmset FIR mats install more like a decoupling membrane than a heating element, while cable kits and hydronic loops follow their own best-practice layers. Below you’ll find a step-by-step cheat-sheet plus floor-finish compatibility so you can spec the right system before a single tile is laid.
