BACKUnderfloor heating is a future-proof way to heat your homes and shared spaces, but its cost-effective nature and adaptability to your daily routine all stem from the way it is programmed – with a thermostat. The thermostat is responsible for monitoring the temperature of your underfloor heating elements. Modern-day thermostats also work to reduce energy consumption and improve heating efficiency through adjustable settings and features while ensuring there is warmth right where you need it.
What is a Thermostat?
A thermostat is a device that monitors and regulates the heat produced by the electric elements under the floor. The thermostat has two types of sensors, the floor probe/sensor (inserted under the floor coverings) and the ambient sensor (located within the device).
When using the sensors to monitor the heating, the thermostat switches the heating system on or off to maintain a specific, set temperature, otherwise known as the chosen set point.
They are commonly positioned on the wall of the room in which the underfloor heating is placed. Although they also have the ability to be placed remotely if there is no intention to use the floor sensor.
Types of Thermostats
Thermostat technology has come a long way over the years, with many variations available across the underfloor heating industry. The original thermostats were simple, manual devices that could adjust the temperature up and down according to the user’s preference. In today’s age, thermostats range from these early designs to fully home-automated, voice-controlled settings.
At Speedheat, we use two types of thermostats that are compatible with our underfloor heating system. The first is a standard programmable touchscreen device, known as the MCD5 thermostat. The second thermostat looks identical to the touchscreen model but is also compatible with home automation, such as Google Home and Alexa. Known as the MWD5-VC thermostat, this device can be controlled remotely from a smartphone. Black cover plates can also be purchased for these devices based on user preferences.
Both the MCD5 and MWD5-VC thermostats are popular choices that users enjoy for their easy setup and energy-efficient nature. When you install and power your thermostat for the first time, or after performing a factory reset, the Startup Wizard will guide you through the initial setup process. This process ensures that your thermostat is configured correctly for your specific needs and location. Here’s a step-by-step overview of the setup process for both the MCD5 and MWD5-VC:
Choose The Right Thermostat For Your Space
For simple home bathrooms, with easy day-to-day access, users commonly choose the standard MCD5 touch screen thermostat for its simple and adjustable heating schedule.
For people who seek out peak convenience or are considering underfloor heating for a remote holiday house or office that is only accessible at limited times, it is common to opt for the Wi-Fi/Home automated MWD5-VC thermostat. With app compatibility, the MWD5-VC thermostat can control your underfloor heating system at anytime from anywhere. It is also compatible with home automation systems such as Google Home and Alexa, creating optimal convenience and peace of mind that your heating system is working how you intend it to.
For more insight on our standard touchscreen MCD5 or information on how the MWD5-VC interacts with the app, take a look at our thermostat page:
If you are interested in the cost factor of these two devices, enquire through our shop:
How To Use Your Thermostat Efficiently
There is an art to setting your thermostat in a way that both optimises energy efficiency and perfectly revolves around your daily routine.
No matter which heating system you choose, heating an entire home can be expensive. A real advantage to underfloor heating is its ability to be zoned. Many traditional forms of heating either cannot be zoned or utilise drafty air-pushing methods of heating that don’t encompass the whole room. With thermostats controlling each room independently, being able to zone your heating to only the rooms you are occupying with a consistent warmth is a great way to avoid wasting energy usage.
It is important to be aware of how your heating schedule impacts energy usage. As the degree you set your heating to increases, so does your energy use. If you lead a busy life and prefer warm floors quickly, keeping your underfloor heating system on a low setting consistently will avoid wait periods and energy used to heat the room to the desired temperature. The MCD5 and MWD5-VC also have an energy usage feature, which displays the energy consumption of the underfloor heating system over the previous 7 days it has been utilised.
For more ideas on how to optimise energy efficiency in your home or shared spaces, take a look at our blog:
Heating Schedule
If you have a set routine, you can ensure your heating will run on max efficiency with the MCD5 and MWD5-VC thermostat’s programmable heating schedule. Their programmable heating schedule allows you to customise your underfloor heating to your daily routine, so you don’t even have to think about turning your heating on and off. Simply just set & forget!
See how to set up the heating schedule here:
Energy-Saving Features
In addition to the heating schedule, our thermostats host features that are designed to conserve energy and save on energy bills.
ADAPTIVE FUNCTION
The “Adaptive Function” feature learns the heating patterns of your set schedule over time to pre-heat your floors. This ensures that the floors reach the temperature set point by the time you have allocated on the schedule, rather than starting to heat at that time. This saves on energy while providing consistent comfort across the week.
Watch our YouTube Video on how to locate the Adaptive Function feature on your thermostat:
OPEN WINDOW
When turned on, the “Open Window” feature ensures that when a draft or breeze is detected by the Speedheat MCD5 and MWD5-VC thermostat, it automatically turns the system off to avoid heating a room that cannot retain the heat efficiently. However, when used in an environment it is not suited to, it has the potential to turn your heating off when you don’t want it to. For some setups, such as a large open area, it is better to have this feature turned off. Learn more about the feature from our YouTube video:
If you would like a more in-depth understanding of our thermostats, you can find the manuals for both products on our website:
Common Thermostat Set Up To Avoid
Across many years of providing clients with warm homes, there are a few easily avoidable troubleshooting issues that we have witnessed.
Unsuitable Placement of Thermostat
In the past, clients have contacted us to say they have trouble getting their heating system to work. When asked where their thermostat is placed, it has been inside a cupboard/cabinet or in a separate room from the heating elements. Meanwhile, their thermostat has been programmed to run on “room mode” using the ambient temperature. If your thermostat is not located in the room you are trying to heat, it is essential that you use the floor probe to run the heating in “floor mode”. As the thermostat cannot monitor the temperature accurately based on the ambient temperature, if it is not in the room where the heating is placed.
You can select which sensor you would like your heating to run on through the sensor application feature. Read more through the thermostat section of our underfloor heating guide:
Constantly Changing the Temperature
The thermostat is designed to heat the elements from the natural temperature of the room up to the temperature setpoint. Depending on the size of the room and how far from the floor surface the heating elements are placed, the time needed to heat the space to the chosen set point will vary. Once the desired temperature has been reached, the thermostat automatically turns the elements off to conserve energy and automatically comes back on when the temperature drops below the setpoint, creating an even and consistent warmth.
If the user is consistently changing the temperature without giving the thermostat enough time to reach its original setpoint, it creates an inefficient schedule for the thermostat to work on, as it is moving up and down erratically without reaching the chosen set point, staying active for longer, and raising energy usage.
If your thermostat is not responding the way you expect it to, or you are receiving an error code, we have created a troubleshooting page to provide guidance on how to get your heating back up and running how you would like it to.
Why Choose Speedheat?
Thermostats are the centre of an underfloor heating system. They allow the system to run in a way that revolutionises how efficient and effective heating your spaces can be. Through heating schedules and programmable features, thermostats provide consistent comfort and peace of mind that you have warmth where you need it.
At Speedheat, we are proud to contribute a one-of-a-kind safe, environmentally conscious, and adaptable heating solution to a wide range of modern-day construction and renovation projects across Australia.
If you’re interested in seeing how underfloor heating might work in your space, contact our team of underfloor heating specialists to answer any questions or provide you with a quote.
