Underfloor heating checked by thermal camera

Cable or pipeThe heat comes from lines

Full-surface carbonThe heat comes from the whole floor

Diagrams of principle, not readings: what a thermal camera reveals depending on how the floor heats.

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 a thermal camera sees

Every surface emits infrared radiation, and the warmer it is, the stronger that radiation. A thermal camera measures it and turns it into colours: dark for the coldest, light for the warmest. Pointed at a floor that is warming up, it draws the map of what heats, and of what does not.

What it shows on a carbon floor

On a floor heated by a cable or by a water pipe, the heat comes from lines: in the image, the first thing you see is the pattern of the coil.

The film we fit contains neither cable nor pipe. Its carbon layer covers more than 85% of its surface, according to the manufacturer’s data sheet, which describes an even heat distribution. Through the camera, the whole floor lights up, one strip of film after another.

What we look for

An area that does not heat. A badly connected strip shows up straight away, on the day itself, while the team is still on site.
The edges of the heated area. We check that they match what was planned at the design stage.
An abnormally hot spot. If there were one, this is where it would show.

When the check takes place

On fitting day, at switch-on: floor covering laid, thermostat set, we bring the floor up to temperature and go over it with the camera. On a professional site, the check goes with the handover report.

The full course of a fitting day is described on the home page.

What the camera does not tell you

It shows a surface temperature, at a given moment. It does not measure consumption, and it does not replace the electrical inspection of the installation, carried out by a qualified electrician to the standard of the country.

Updated on 8 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Your questions on this subject.

Why is there no coil to be seen in the image?

Because there is none. The film contains neither cable nor pipe: its carbon layer covers more than 85% of its surface, and that whole surface heats.

Do you need a thermal camera to check underfloor heating?

It is not a requirement. It is the most direct way to see that the whole surface heats, on the day itself, without waiting for the first winter.

Does the thermal camera measure consumption?

No. It shows the surface temperature at a given moment. Consumption depends on how well the home is insulated and how it is used, and is read on the meter.