20 November 2023

How to keep your home warm in winter

With the colder weather approaching and the cost of energy rising; keeping our homes warm this season is a hot topic. If you are planning on having a new flooring or carpets, considering thermal properties can be a great way to help save energy in your home. Here are our top tips on how to choose the right flooring and help to save energy this winter.

 

Carpet or flooring

Firstly lets start with the basics… carpet or flooring? As you might expect carpet will provide a warm and cosy feel to your home. Carpet is thicker than flooring, made from a thermal material and installed onto an underlay. However, if you still wanting to chose a flooring over carpet, there are some options that feel warmer underfoot.

Typically laminate will feel the coldest underfoot, this is because it is made from a temperature absorbent material. This is particularly noticeable during the colder months of the year.

Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) is made from layers of PVC and is therefore great for transferring heat. LVT will change temperature with the room, ensuring it feels much warmer underfoot. It is therefore a great option for underfloor heating.

Wood is a natural insulator. It conducts and holds the heat produced. If you are considering underfloor heating, it’s worth considering the thickness of the wood. The thicker the flooring, the longer it will take to heat up.

Sub floor

When installing all floor coverings, it is important to ensure your subfloor (the floors integral structure) is sound and stable. Gaps and cracks in your subfloor can cause your flooring or carpets to fail, and become unsafe and unsightly. Issues in your subfloor can also cause drafts and damp.

Seeking professional advise before any installation will to help to prevent any expensive mistakes but also ensure your floor is properly sealed and insulated.

Underlays

Whether you choose carpet or flooring, looking into your underlay options, can be a great way to insulate your home. There are many thermal underlays on the market for all options of flooring. We recommend checking the tog rating or thermal resistance on your chosen underlay. This will provide you with the knowledge you need to assess it’s energy efficiency.

Thermal Resistance

There is a lot of terminology surrounding saving energy. Thermal, energy efficient, heat conductivity; but how do you know which is relevant to you? Thermal Resistance is a measure of how difficult it is for heat to pass through it. This means that once your flooring is warm it will retain the heat. The higher the thermal rating the warmer your floor will be. This terminology is usually associated with flooring and flooring underlays.

Tog Rating

This term is associated with the textiles, eg carpet and underlays. The higher the tog rating the warmer it will feel. Wool is a natural insulator, and so is a great option to help keep your home nice and warm. If you are wanting to chose a man made fibre, you can opt for an underlay with a high tog rating.

Underfloor heating

If you have decided to have under floor heating in your home, it’s important to ensure the floor covering is suitable for the system you choose. There are specific types of underlay, flooring and carpets that are best suited to transfer heat.

Typically flooring products that have higher heat transference properties, will have lower thermal resistance.

Need a little inspiration?

At Beyond Flooring, our mission is to enhance your environment with expertly fitted flooring. We only use quality products, and we offer a two-year warranty on all domestic projects.

If you need a little inspiration, check out our customer gallery, or visit our showroom. Our friendly team are always happy to help you select the perfect flooring for your home.