Electric radiant floor heating in Essex, Morris and Union County, NJ

HomeGuide puts electric floor heating at $8 to $15 per square foot installed, before new flooring. For an average 40 to 50 square foot bathroom that is $300 to $800, without new flooring. Angi's rule of thumb is $10 to $15 per square foot for materials plus $5 to $10 per square foot to install. This Old House gives $6 to $20 per square foot. These are published national ranges, not MDL prices.

For the wiring, yes. In New Jersey, electrical work may only be done by a licensed electrician, or by a single-family homeowner on his or her own home (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.15). SunTouch's manual recommends an electrician and says local codes may require one, and WarmlyYours says the electrical connections should be made by a licensed electrician. MDL Electric holds a New Jersey electrical contractor license (34EI01606200).

Usually. Nuheat says its mat must be on a dedicated circuit for heating devices. Schluter recommends a dedicated circuit for DITRA-HEAT. It allows a circuit that already feeds fixed room heaters if the breaker is 30 amps or less and the total stays under 80% of it. SunTouch says you may tap an existing circuit with room to spare, but to avoid circuits with lighting, motors, exhaust fans or hot tub pumps.

About 1 amp for every 10 square feet at 120 volts. SunTouch's 50 square foot, 120 volt TapeMat draws 5 amps, and Schluter's DITRA-HEAT cable for about 51 square feet draws 5.4 amps (650 watts). At 240 volts the same floor draws half the amps. Most floor heating thermostats are limited to 15 amps.

It depends on the size. Nuheat says 240 volt systems do not heat better, faster or cheaper; they cover twice the area per amp. Its thermostats handle 15 amps, about 150 square feet at 120 volts or 300 at 240 volts. Schluter warns never to put a cable made for 120 volts on a 240 or 208 volt supply. Check the voltage on the cable's tag before anything is connected.

Yes. The National Electrical Code requires GFCI protection for heating cables in bathroom and kitchen floors and hydromassage tub areas (Section 424.44(E), quoted by EC&M). Schluter, Nuheat, SunTouch and WarmlyYours all call for a Class A GFCI on the circuit. Their floor thermostats have one built in, so a separate GFCI breaker is usually not needed.

It varies by job. The mat or cable sits in thinset right under the tile. On many remodels the tile setter lays it and sets the tile. The electrician runs the circuit, sets the thermostat and makes the final connection. Nuheat's guide says the electrical connection is made only after the flooring is complete. Ask MDL whether it lays the mat itself or wires and tests it while your tile setter lays it.

Because a cable nicked by a trowel or a tile cutter cannot be fixed without lifting tile. Nuheat says its mat must be tested before, during and after installation, within +10% / -5% of the resistance on its tag, or the warranty is void. Schluter gives DITRA-HEAT a 15-year warranty with all four cable tests logged. Without the insulation test it is 10 years, and with no tests the cable is not covered.

A floor-heating thermostat with a floor sensor. The sensor is a wire laid between the heating runs. Nuheat expects it to read 8,000 to 12,000 ohms at room temperature. Schluter, Nuheat, SunTouch and WarmlyYours floor thermostats have a Class A GFCI built in and carry up to 15 amps. HomeGuide puts thermostat installation at $140 to $350.

A 50 square foot floor at 12 watts per square foot uses 600 watts while it heats. At New Jersey's August 2026 average residential rate of 24.61 cents per kilowatt-hour (US EIA), that is about 15 cents an hour at full power. The thermostat cycles it off once the floor is warm, so a timed schedule costs less. HomeGuide estimates $5 to $10 or more a month for a heated bathroom floor.

Thin ones, with care. Schluter does not recommend area rugs over DITRA-HEAT. Any rug used should have an R-value of 1 or less and never sit over the floor sensor. SunTouch says to avoid rubber-backed and very heavy rugs. Nuheat and WarmlyYours say not to put mattresses, memory foam or rubber mats, or flat-bottomed furniture on the heated area, because they trap heat.

It costs more to run than hydronic heat (HomeGuide). Adding it to an existing bathroom costs 50% to 80% more than in new construction because the floor has to come up (HomeGuide). A damaged cable under tile is hard to reach, which is why the manufacturers require testing during installation. And it usually needs a circuit the panel has room for.

Sometimes. Nuheat says its systems typically give 12 watts per square foot, and up to 15. That can be a room's only heat if it is enough, which an HVAC specialist should work out. Schluter's handbook shows a floor at 82°F in a room at 72°F gives off about 5.5 watts per square foot. Most bathroom systems warm the floor rather than replace the room's heat.

Plan on one. A new heating circuit and thermostat is not on the state's ordinary electrical maintenance list. Installing regulated electrical equipment needs a permit before the work (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 and 2.14). Your town's construction office decides whether part of a job counts as minor work under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.17A. HomeGuide puts permit costs at $50 to $800 nationally.

Electric radiant heat runs entirely on electricity: a resistance cable or mat under the floor warms up when power flows through it. Hydronic radiant heat runs warm water from a boiler or water heater through tubing instead, which HomeGuide says suits larger areas and new construction. This page is about the electric kind.

Call 973.809.2339 or send the form on this page. Include your town, the room and its rough square footage, the floor you plan to lay, and who is setting the tile. MDL will tell you whether it handles that job. MDL Electric is a licensed New Jersey electrical contractor at 4 Harrison Avenue in West Orange.