BACKWe’ve all experienced the harsh touch of cold tiles on our feet first thing in the morning. They make getting out of bed seem 10 times harder than it needs to be. You may be wondering, “Is there a way I can avoid this?” Like many elements of the construction industry, bathroom heating is evolving, and perhaps old heating lamps just don’t cut it anymore. Don’t deny yourself the pleasure of a perfect morning routine – under tile heating is the hidden luxury your bathroom is missing.
What is Under Tile Heating?
Underfloor heating is the perfect solution to cold bathroom tiles as it creates consistent warmth from the ground up. It is made up of a group of heating elements that sit just beneath the floor surface. Controlled by a thermostat, the heating elements generate heat that rises up through the floor surface and into the room, creating a consistent and even heat where the heating elements are laid throughout the room. Under tile heating is safe, efficient, silent, and invisible, making it the ideal heating solution for bathrooms in busy households.
So, why are bathrooms the perfect pairing for underfloor heating?
1. Cold Tile Floors
Being water-resistant and versatile in style, tiles are the most common flooring used in bathrooms.
They naturally maintain cold temperatures, especially in winter, making for uncomfortable trips to your morning shower. Simultaneously, they are a great insulator of heat. Once they are warmed up, they can retain heat for long periods of time. This versatile nature makes them the perfect pairing for electric underfloor heating.
2. Comfort & Luxury
One of the top renovation trends of 2025 has been spa-like bathroom renovations, and what encapsulates spa comfort more than underfloor heating? It is an affordable way to bring luxury into the spaces you use every day. Under tile heating will elevate your comfort across all levels, contributing to a warmer, drier, and healthier atmosphere. By adding floor heating to your space, living in bare feet will be enjoyable year-round, and morning routines might just become your favourite part of the day.
Design & Build by GIA Renovations (Olivia Cirocco) @gia_renovations
Photography by Twinewood Studio @twinewoodstudio
3. Energy Efficiency
Underfloor heating is a targeted approach to heating a bathroom. Heat directly rises from where the heater elements are placed. Unlike air-pushing methods, its heat is consistent and doesn’t create cold drafts. By pairing thermostats with heaters in different areas of your home, you also have the ability to individually zone your heating to suit your preferences for that specific area. This means you can have your master ensuite tiles nice and warm while the bathroom down the hall is set at a more moderate temperature to suit the preferences of other people using the space. Your bathroom can be designed to look just how you like it, and now it can feel just how you like it too.
Design & Build by @gamahomes_
Photography by @kelseyzafiridis.photography
Using a thermostat, you can program your heating to run on a heating schedule that aligns with your daily routine. For example, you can program the thermostat to have your bathroom tiles reach 25 degrees celsius by the time you wake up at 7am, and then turn off at 9am once you leave for work. This makes floor heating extremely energy-efficient as it isn’t drawing electricity when you aren’t utilising the space. Electric underfloor heating can also be paired with renewable sources of electricity, making for a smaller carbon footprint.
You can set your programmable heating schedule once at the start of the colder months and turn off your thermostat when you no longer require consistent heating as we move into the hotter months. The thermostat does all the work to run the floor heating as efficiently as possible when running on a programmed heating schedule. It keeps energy bills down while you no longer have to worry about whether you remembered to turn the heating off before you left the house. Simply just set & forget!
Another advantage of underfloor heating is the fact that it incurs little-to-no ongoing maintenance costs. Once your underfloor heating has been successfully installed and the flooring has been placed down, the floor heating system should continue to perform at its best with no need for hefty cleaning or unit replacement costs after installation, further creating savings while heating your spaces.
4. Space-Saving Alternative
Underfloor heating is both a silent and invisible heating solution, leading to ultimate levels of comfort. Because it is placed under the floor surface, the only visible part of the heating system is the thermostat, which can even be placed remotely in cupboards or on hallway walls if you intend to run your heating through the floor mode setting. There is no need for bulky radiators or other heating units. This makes electric underfloor heating the perfect option for maximising usable space in smaller bathrooms and having full creative freedom over your interior design.
Design & Build by GIA Renovations (Olivia Cirocco) @gia_renovations
Photography by Twinewood Studio @twinewoodstudio
5. Increased Home Value
Having underfloor heating installed will not only elevate your levels of daily comfort, it is also a savvy financial investment. Underfloor heating is considered to be a modern upgrade that increases the value of a home and appeals to potential buyers who are looking for cost and energy-efficient heating solutions. It adds a sense of luxury to a property, but has affordable installation and running costs, making for a great return on investment.
Design & Build by GIA Renovations (Olivia Cirocco) @gia_renovations
Photography by Twinewood Studio @twinewoodstudio
Underfloor heating also creates healthier home environments that lead to increased market value. Because it doesn’t move air around the room, it reduces the circulation of allergens in the air compared to many traditional air-pushing forms of heating. The warmth from underfloor heating, particularly in the shower, also contributes to a drier and warmer environment in wet areas, providing better air clarity for those with respiratory issues. Its consistent heat also helps those who struggle with body temperature regulation, such as young children and the elderly.
When Should You Install Underfloor Heating?
Under tile heating has a quick and efficient installation process. During the construction or renovation of a bathroom, underfloor heating elements can be installed on a concrete subfloor or over top of any necessary waterproofing (once completely dry). Depending on the size of the tiles and bathroom, a thin layer of self-leveler may be required over top of the heater elements to protect them, but in most cases the heater elements can sit within the tiler’s glue.
Installation of each heater takes approximately 1.5 hours, and flooring can be completed over top of the heating that same day. Having your flooring team lay the flooring over the heating the same day or day after installation is ideal and this mitigates the risk of the heating elements being exposed to an active construction site for elongated periods of time.
To learn more about the installation process of underfloor heating, you can read below:
Why Choose Speedheat?
At Speedheat, we have over 30 years of installing electric underfloor heating in Australia. We pride ourselves on going the extra mile to give our customers the best solution to achieving a warm and comfortable home.
Our underfloor heater elements are the thinnest on the market, at only 1.5mm thick, they have next-to-no effect on your flooring levels. Being so close to the floor surface, under tile heating creates warmth that rises and heats your floors quicker than alternative products such as hydronic heating. When paired with our MCD5 or MWD5-VC thermostat’s programmable heating schedule, they can be perfectly set to heat the room just when you need it.
If you are considering under tile heating in your bathroom, request a quote today to see what we have to offer: