Every winter the internet fills with jokes about \"southerners surviving on sheer willpower while northerners enjoy central heating.\" But southern households really have more than one option, and besides centralized heating, underfloor heating, radiator panels, and electric heaters are spreading. Choosing a heating plan comes down to three ledgers: installation cost, annual running cost, and comfort differences. This guide puts the heating costs of AC (heating and cooling), underfloor heating, and electric heaters on one table so you can calculate the right plan for your floor plan and habits.
The Hard Numbers: Installation and Annual Running Cost
Take an 80 square meter home with a 4-month heating season (120 days). Dual-mode AC (wall or central): low installation cost (a wall unit runs $280 to $560; central AC costs more), and it heats by heat-pump principle with a coefficient of performance (COP) of about 2.5 to 3.5 — each kilowatt-hour of electricity produces 2.5 to 3.5 kWh of heat. Running 8 hours a day at 1,500 W average, that is about 12 kWh a day, $0.95 to $1.25 in electricity, and $135 to $180 for the season. Gas underfloor heating: high installation cost (water-based systems run $21 to $42 per square meter, so 80 square meters is $1,680 to $3,360 including the boiler), runs on gas, and the season's gas bill is about $350 to $560. Electric underfloor heating installs at $14 to $28 per square meter but costs more to run, roughly $420 to $700 a season.
Electric heaters and oil-filled radiators: very low installation ($42 to $112), but resistive heating (COP ≈ 1) means one kilowatt-hour produces one kilowatt-hour of heat — the highest running cost. At 2,000 W for 8 hours a day, that is 16 kWh and $1.40 to $1.80 a day, $170 to $225 a season, and it only heats locally. Use the percentage calculator to see the \"installation ÷ annual running\" combination of each plan: AC wins on low install and moderate running, underfloor wins on running efficiency (gas) but has heavy install, and electric heaters are cheap to install but the most expensive to run.
Hidden Differences: Warm-up Speed, Comfort, and Whole-Home Coverage
Hidden differences often decide the choice. Warm-up speed: AC blows warm air and warms a room in 5 to 15 minutes, the fastest; underfloor heating radiates from the floor and takes 6 to 12 hours to warm up the first time (floor thermal mass), suiting \"always on\" rather than \"heat on demand.\" Comfort: AC heat is dry with hot heads and cold feet, and long exposure dries you out; underfloor heating warms from the feet, distributes evenly, and does not dry the air — friendlier to children and the elderly. Coverage: AC suits room-by-room control, underfloor heats the whole home. These differences matter a lot for who lives there and how: a home with elderly people and children who are home all day values the comfort premium of underfloor; commuters out all day and home only at night value the instant heat of AC.
One often-ignored variable is the building's insulation. A poorly insulated home loses a large share of underfloor heat, pushing running costs well above the theoretical figure; a well-insulated home lets the low-temperature advantage of underfloor shine. Use the unit converter to normalize area, power, and electricity units so you can compare each plan's per-square-meter heating cost. Southern China is humid, cold in winter, and generally poorly insulated, so AC plus local electric heaters is often the pragmatic combination; northern centralized heating is a given, but for self-heating (wall-hung gas boilers), gas underfloor balances comfort and running cost best.
How to Choose: Match by Floor Plan, Habits, and Budget
Four situations map to four paths. First: a small southern home (under 60 square meters) with no one home during the day — dual-mode AC as the main source, plus an oil-filled heater or electric panel in the bedroom; installation runs in the hundreds and the season's running cost is $135 to $210. Second: a large southern home (over 100 square meters) with people home often — AC loses heating efficiency noticeably (low-temperature degradation), so consider a gas wall-hung boiler with radiators or underfloor; install runs $2,800 to $4,200 but the season's running cost stays manageable. Third: northern self-heating — gas underfloor or radiators first, at $350 to $560 a season with the best comfort. Fourth: renters and transitional living — electric heaters plus AC, zero installation burden, but higher running cost.
Three saving tactics: first, control by room — turn off heating in empty rooms and heat only occupied ones to save 20 to 30 percent; second, set temperatures sensibly — each degree lower on underfloor saves 5 to 8 percent of gas, and AC heating works the same way; third, use off-peak electricity where available, letting electric underfloor store heat during cheaper hours. Finally, add up the total: a plan's three-year cost = installation ÷ 3 + annual running. Use the percentage calculator to compare every plan on one basis, and do not pick AC just because it is cheap to install, or underfloor just because it \"feels nicer.\" Look at your floor plan and habits first, then calculate the three-year total — only then is the money for winter heating spent clearly.
FAQ
Q1: Does AC really use less electricity than underfloor heating?
It depends on efficiency: AC works on a heat pump with COP around 2.5 to 3.5 — one kilowatt-hour of electricity produces 2.5 to 3.5 kWh of heat; electric underfloor and heaters have COP ≈ 1, so running costs are highest. Gas underfloor is expensive to install, but gas is cheap and efficient, so long-term running often beats all-electric plans. Overall: low install plus moderate running means AC; comfort plus efficient long-term running means gas underfloor.
Q2: How long does underfloor heating take to warm up?
Water-based underfloor heats through the floor's thermal mass, so the first warm-up takes 6 to 12 hours — it is not \"instant heat\" and suits running continuously through the season at a low steady temperature. If no one is home during the day, keep it low during the day and raise it at night rather than reheating from cold every day. Northern self-heating homes should start 1 to 2 days early.
Q3: Is underfloor heating worth installing in southern China?
It depends on floor plan, occupancy, and budget. With elderly people or children at home all day, an area over 100 square meters, and gas available, the comfort and long-term running cost of gas underfloor justify it; for a small home with no one home during the day and a tight budget, AC plus local electric heaters is more pragmatic. Decide after running the three-year total (install ÷ 3 + annual running).
Q4: Does AC lose heating capacity in cold weather?
Yes. Below 0°C, AC heating output drops sharply (30 to 50 percent low-temperature degradation), and near -7°C many units barely heat at all. If you rely on AC in northern or severe-cold regions, choose a model with strong low-temperature heating (vapor-injection or heating-boost types), or combine with gas or electric heat. Above 0°C in southern winters, AC heating is generally adequate.