Underfloor Heating Cost Calculator
Estimate the cost of underfloor heating in Australia by area and type.
💰 Ways to save
- Mind the floor-height buildup in a retrofit — traditional screed adds around 100mm and can foul doors and skirtings, whereas thin electric mats add only a few millimetres. That alone often decides electric versus hydronic in an existing home.
- Even a DIY mat kit legally needs a licensed electrician for the power, conduit, thermostat and load certification — budget for that, don't assume it's a weekend job.
How we estimate this
Underfloor heating is priced per square metre installed, and the type sets the rate. Electric ranges from $60–$100/m² for slab cable up to $100–$160 for an under-tile mat and $120–$200 for in-screed cable. Hydronic pipework is $45–$100/m² in-slab or $70–$150 retrofit — but that excludes the heat source, which adds a gas boiler at $3,000–$7,000 or a heat pump at $6,000–$15,000 on top.
Pricing reviewed: June 2026.
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Pricing reviewed June 2026. Indicative Australian costs, not a quote.
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Understanding underfloor heating costs in Australia
Underfloor heating is priced per square metre installed, and the type sets the rate. Electric ranges from $60–$100/m² for slab cable up to $100–$160 for an under-tile mat and $120–$200 for in-screed cable. Hydronic pipework is $45–$100/m² in-slab or $70–$150 retrofit — but that excludes the heat source, which adds a gas boiler at $3,000–$7,000 or a heat pump at $6,000–$15,000 on top.
As whole jobs, a bathroom mat with thermostat (around 5m²) is $600–$1,500; a 3-bed home in electric is $8,000–$18,000; and a 200m² new-build hydronic system including the heat source is $30,000–$50,000. Hydronic only pays for itself above roughly 80m², which is why electric dominates single-room bathroom jobs and hydronic suits whole-home heating. New builds are cheaper because the floor is already open — retrofits push you toward thin mats or a slim flow-screed overlay.
Two practical realities. In-slab and in-screed systems are slow to warm — 10 to 24 hours — so they must run on a schedule and are useless on demand; that's fine for steady winter heating, wrong for a quick warm-up. And geography decides whether whole-home hydronic even makes sense: it's genuinely economic only in the cold belt — Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and alpine NSW, with Melbourne and Canberra the real hydronic markets. In Queensland and the north, electric bathroom spot-heating is the sensible limit.
Frequently asked questions
How much does underfloor heating cost?
In 2026, electric runs $60–$200/m² depending on type, and a bathroom mat is about $600–$1,500. Hydronic pipework is $45–$150/m² but the heat source adds thousands — a 200m² hydronic whole-home system with its heat pump reaches $30,000–$50,000.
Electric or hydronic?
Electric suits single rooms like bathrooms and is cheap to install. Hydronic only pays off above about 80m² and is far cheaper to run at scale, so it suits whole-home heating — but mainly in cold-climate states like Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT.
Can I run it on demand?
No, not in-slab or in-screed systems — they take 10–24 hours to warm up, so they have to run on a schedule. That's ideal for steady winter heating but useless for a quick warm-up, where a thin electric mat responds faster.
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