Your choice of a heating system determines the way heat is distributed.
Underfloor heating produces radiant heat which makes you feel warm. The term radiant heating is used as infrared radiation is a significant proportion of the heat emitted from the floor, providing improved thermal comfort.
In comparison, radiators work by heating the room predominantly through convection and only produce a relatively small amount of radiant heat.
This image illustrates how floor heating and radiators typically compare to the ideal heating profile within a room. The uneven heat distribution from a radiator system causes some areas to take much longer to reach the desired temperature with radiators, while other areas are overheated.
Hot and cold spots generally reduce comfort within a room and lead to excessive heat loss, particularly through windows and ceilings where the air temperature is often the hottest.