Comfort in the smallest space - electric panel heating in the Tiny House

At the same time, they require hardly any building land, seal much less natural areas and require fewer resources for their production. Especially for small living space, the type of heating plays an important role. There is little space available and the heating system used should naturally provide a pleasant indoor climate. The Federal Association for Surface Heating and Cooling (BVF) therefore sees electric surface heating as the ideal solution for heating small living spaces.

When installed, electric panel heating requires only a minimum of space, as it is laid in the floor, wall or ceiling and is "invisible" once installed. This means that the heating system does not additionally restrict the interior design freedom, which is already very limited in a Tiny House. Appropriate products available on the market, e.g. self-regulating heating cables, heating mats, carbon foils or fiberglass-based heating fabrics, are so thin that no valuable space is lost to the Tiny House. This leaves important square meters free for other uses. In addition, the system is also very "light", because in contrast to single-family houses, the weight for the building services to be installed also plays a role in Tiny Houses, because for many Tiny Houses even a change of location is no problem, and every kilogram counts. In addition, the installation of a chimney, as would be necessary for a wood-burning stove, is also unnecessary and thus there are no chimney sweep fees, nor do you have to provide space for storing the firewood. In addition, electric panel heating is noise-free, odorless and maintenance-free. When installed as wall heating, electric panel heating can also prevent mold.

The heat emitted by electric panel heating is available immediately, so there is no need for long periods of heating. The radiant heat creates a pleasant comfort for the occupants without the living space becoming too heated and stuffy. In addition, the radiant heat, which is perceived as very pleasant, also eliminates the convection that occurs with conventional radiators due to the circulation of air. This is another advantage, especially for allergy sufferers, as less dust is stirred up.
Digital control technology for a pleasant room climate

The electric panel heating is controlled via modern digital control technology, which can also be integrated into smart home concepts if desired and controlled via app. This makes it possible for residents to switch on their electric panel heating just before they get home. At the same time, the digital control also takes weather data and the actual room temperature into account so that energy is used efficiently. Of course, times adapted to the usage behavior of the residents can also be stored so that the heating switches off automatically when the residents leave the house.

If the electric panel heating system is operated with green electricity or self-generated solar power, the heating system is also environmentally friendly and does not depend on fossil fuels.

Solutions from practice

The following three reference projects show the wide range of installation options.

A great advantage is the possibility to install the electric panel heating combined in floor and wall, depending on the requirements. By the Lower Saxony company mfh systems, the 25 sqm interior surface of the living and dining area in a Tiny House project was equipped with the product E-NERGY CARBON PET and combined with a vinyl floor. This provides a pleasant foot warmth. In the shower, the product E-NERGY CARBON FLEECE was installed as wall heating. Especially with very small floor areas, it is ideal to also be able to use the wall surface as an enlarged heating surface. In this project, the power supply units were housed in the kitchen cabinet. The control is done via a WiFi thermostat in the kitchen.
In another project by mfh systems, in which a construction trailer was set up for a forest kindergarten, great importance was attached to ecological building materials. Here, they chose the E-NERGY IQ ÖKO 20 electric underfloor heating system, based on heating elements that are only 20 mm high and insulated to withstand pressure loads. Factory-fitted with ducts for the self-regulating heating cable, aluminum heat-conducting plates ensure rapid heating. The system heating cable is a self-regulating heating cable, it automatically adjusts the power as needed and thus cannot overheat. This control effect happens with centimeter precision. Under the furniture, for example, the cable then has a different power output than in front of the window.

Image 1: Self-sufficiency on a small footprint: Tiny Houses are steadily growing in popularity (Image: koye.me).
Image 2: The carbon foils during installation, they are very thin and light and no living space is lost through the heating system. (Image: mfh systems)
Image 3: After completion, the electric panel heating offers comfort at the touch of a button through pleasant radiant heat (Image: koye.me)
Image 4: For the construction trailer of the forest kindergarten in Melle, great importance was attached to ecological building materials. (Image: mfh systems)
Image 5: Underfloor heating based on self-regulating heating cables and heat-conducting plates was chosen as the ideal solution for the construction trailer. (Image: mfh systems)