According to a recent industry report, it appears that lockdowns during 2020 were responsible for an upswing in floor heating sales.

WarmlyYours, a manufacturer specializing in electric floor heating, released their “Q4 2020 & Annual Industry Report” earlier this week. This quarterly report analyzes the sales of radiant heating products within the wider context of the national housing and remodeling markets. One of the primary conclusions drawn in the report was that there appeared to be an uptick in floor heating sales that occurred in the same period during which swaths of the world were under lockdown orders as a part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WarmlyYours reports floor heating sales increase by 8% year-over-year. Fourth quarter 2020 was the most dynamic quarter with floor heating sales up 37% over prior-year-period.

“I really think it has to do with comfort—it’s just human nature,” said Julia Billen, owner and president of WarmlyYours. “When we’ve faced what we have in the last year, it’s totally understandable that people have tried to find every little bit of comfort they could. Does a heated floor solve the world’s problems? Of course not! But it does make it easier to get out of bed in the morning when you don’t have to face both a pandemic and a cold floor.”

From WarmlyYours sales data, it appears that homeowners have been a crucial driving force for growth in floor heating. In 2020, the company reports homeowner sales grow by 42.6% over the prior year, along with strong sales with big box home improvement retailers like Home Depot (up 56.4%) and Costco (up 32.6%) that serve both homeowners and some trade professionals.

For more information, visit warmlyyours.com.