Modular ceiling heating
Ceiling heating is still an undervalued system of heating in our geographical region, even though practical measurements carried out in a study conducted by the University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings (UCEEB) at the Czech Technical University in Prague have shown that ceiling heating has a higher radiant component than underfloor heating. Thanks to the zero restrictions on the internal layout of the equipment, ceiling heating is an ideal system for use in current residential buildings – family homes and apartments. We have therefore decided to extend the existing range of ECOFILM heating foils to include a new modular system featuring heating modules.
It is not a completely new system – heating modules have already been sold successfully for several years by our subsidiary company ACSO on the French market. The reason for this is a peculiarity of that region – there are no local specialists equivalent to the Czech Republic’s qualified "electrical system installers" there, so electrical appliances (including electric heating) are installed exclusively using the "plugin" system – i.e. via the use of connectors, plugs and sockets. Also, the price of human labour is significantly higher in France, and thus there is a preference for modular systems whose higher price is very easily counterbalanced by lower labour requirements. Because the trend in the Czech Republic is moving towards the "western" model – the price of human labour is also increasing, not to mention the fact that there is currently an acute lack of qualified manpower – we decided that we would also add heating modules to the range offered on the domestic market.
The heating modules themselves have an area of 50 x 120 cm and are constructed from 5 cm-thick mineral wool insulation. ECOFILM heating foil with a wattage of 140 W/m2 is glued to the thermal insulation with a special adhesive. The heating foil is manufactured with a connection cable and plug attached. The width of the modules corresponds to the axial distance (50 cm) of the load-bearing CD profiles for plasterboard and gypsum fibre ceilings. The heating modules are thus easily laid directly onto the CD profiles and are connected to the backbone cable with sockets. Non-heating modules are offered for the filling of non-heating surfaces (e.g. around lights, along walls, etc.): they can be cut as needed. In the future the range will be extended to include other module dimensions. You can find an illustrative 3D animation of the installation of the modular system below.
If the current range of ECOFILM C heating foils for ceiling heating is simply compared with heating modules in terms of cost, the latter are available for basically double the price. However, if one takes into account the fact that the modules also include thermal insulation, and if we also count the savings in labour costs – installation can be performed by plasterboard specialists – the modular system can be a very interesting alternative (if not now, then in the very near future).
Link to see the new video here: 3D animation of the ECOFILM modular system
