Replacing electric radiators with underfloor heating

What the rule says

In Wallonia and Flanders, the rule limits direct electric heating, and names electric underfloor heating. Wallonia: 2,500 W at most per home up to 150 m², then 15 W per additional m², on any fitting, appliances already in place included. Flanders: 15 W at most per m² in a renovation subject to a permit or a notification with an architect; in an extension, the cap is calculated on the extension alone. Brussels: we have not found a cap. One room remains possible; a whole home, not within these limits.

In Luxembourg, direct electric heating cannot be the main heating of a building that is new, extended or converted. Partial heating remains possible: the regulation cites the bathroom.

In the Netherlands, a heating system that is fitted or renewed must reach a performance that direct electricity does not reach. The guide published by the public agency RVO rules out electric underfloor heating as main heating; the agency’s page allows local electric appliances controlled room by room. For a room heated as a supplement, the official documents point towards local heating being allowed, without naming electric underfloor heating: to be confirmed by the municipality.

The rule, country by country, with the texts

What does not change

The energy. You heat with electricity, and you will go on doing so. The price per kilowatt-hour remains that of your contract.
Room-by-room control. Your radiators each have their own thermostat; underfloor heating has one per room.
Maintenance. There is none, neither before nor after.

What changes

Where the heat comes from. From a hot appliance against a wall, you move to the whole surface of the floor, warm: 20 to 24 °C in service, according to the manufacturer. Its argument: a radiator heats air, which rises to the ceiling; underfloor heating warms the floor, the walls and the people directly.
The walls. They are free: no more appliance under the window, no more furniture to move out of the way.
The response time. Warm feet in about a quarter of an hour, and the room from 17 to 21 °C in 30 to 45 minutes depending on the building, according to the manufacturer.

The right time

This is a flooring job. The heating is laid under a new floor covering: wood flooring, vinyl, laminate or tiles.

The right time is therefore when the floor needs redoing. If your floor suits you and does not need changing, replacing your radiators with recent models is a much lighter job.

Outside France, first check what the rule in your country allows: Wallonia, Flanders, Luxembourg and the Netherlands limit direct electric heating.

The height added ranges from 13 to 20 mm with vinyl or wood flooring, and from 23 to 40 mm with tiles. The details are on the fitting without screed page.

What about consumption?

The manufacturer has read at the meter the heating consumption of eleven buildings heated by its system: the table, with its limits, is on the measured consumption page. None of these readings compares underfloor heating and electric radiators in the same home.

The French regulatory calculation, the one used for the energy certificate, compares the two. For the same heating demand, it counts about 7% more kilowatt-hours for electric underfloor heating than for NF-certified convectors controlled room by room: in that calculation, the floor benefits less from temperature setbacks, at night or when you are away. Against NF-certified radiant panels or radiators, the gap rises to about 9%. The method puts all electric underfloor heating on a single line, thin film or cable embedded in a screed.

The simulator uses this calculation, without deducting anything from it. The details are in “How it is calculated”.

What you will not get

A grant. Those we have reviewed, in the four countries, fund heat pumps, not direct electric heating.
A promise of savings. The regulatory calculation counts none against NF-certified convectors, and we do not promise any.
A bill divided by three. According to the Fraunhofer institutes’ measurements, an air-source heat pump uses on average two to three times less electricity for the same heat: the comparison is on the page heat pump or carbon underfloor heating.

All the limits are brought together on the drawbacks page.

Are you redoing your floors? Describe your project, or call.

Updated on 9 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Your questions on this subject.

Will I use less than with my radiators?

Nobody can promise that, and the official calculation points rather the other way. A radiator and a heating film both give one kilowatt-hour of heat per kilowatt-hour of electricity: any difference can only come from the way you heat. The French regulatory calculation counts about 7% more kilowatt-hours for electric underfloor heating than for NF-certified convectors. The manufacturer publishes its meter readings, but none compares the two kinds of heating in the same home.

Do I need a more powerful supply connection or a higher contracted capacity?

For the supply connection, very rarely according to the manufacturer. For the contracted capacity, it says nothing: the electrician checks your contracted capacity before the job.

Can it be done room by room?

Yes: each room has its own circuit and thermostat. According to the manufacturer, many people start with one room, then fit out the others when their floors need redoing.

Can the radiators be kept as a backup?

Yes. According to the manufacturer, there is no technical reason not to keep the old heating in reserve.

Is there a grant?

None of the grants we have reviewed funds direct electric heating: MaPrimeRénov' in France, Mijn VerbouwPremie in Flanders, Klimabonus in Luxembourg, ISDE in the Netherlands. We have not reviewed local schemes. In France, one sheet under the energy savings certificates scheme covers electric radiators with advanced electronic control; none covers electric underfloor heating.