Care home heating: comfort, safety and per-room control
In a care home, heating is a duty-of-care question before it is an energy question. The system needs individual room control, surfaces that cannot burn, and no stagnant hot water sitting in low-use circuits.
What is the right heating system for a care home?
Care homes need 21–23 °C in resident rooms — several degrees above a normal workplace — with individual room control and safe surface temperatures, which is what usually rules systems in or out rather than fuel price.
The problem with care home heating
Residents feel the cold differently, rooms are occupied around the clock, and hot surfaces and wet systems both bring regulatory risk.
Zoning strategy: Per-room thermostats for residents' rooms, with separate zoning for communal areas.
Options compared
| System | Verdict | Upfront | Running |
|---|---|---|---|
Infrared / radiant panels Low-surface-temperature or ceiling panels give per-room control with no hot pipework in reach. | Best fit | Low | Medium |
Gas central heating Familiar and cheap to run, but shared circuits limit per-room control and carry legionella management duties. | Viable | Medium | Low fuel cost |
Air-source heat pump Cheapest per kWh delivered (COP ~3.2) but needs good insulation and capital budget. | Viable | High | Lowest |
Old electric storage heaters No responsive control — warm at breakfast, cold by evening, which is the wrong way round for residents. | Poor fit | Low | High |
Indicative annual heating cost — 16 m², average / part-insulated
Degree-day method at UK average 2000 HDD, Ofgem price cap (indicative, 2026). Whole-space figures — zoning typically cuts these substantially.
- Infrared panels£250/yr
- Air-source heat pump£100/yr
- Gas central heating£90/yr
- Old electric / storage heaters£320/yr
What care home heating costs to install
- Per resident room£350 – £900
Panel plus thermostat and installation.
- Communal lounge or dining room£1,200 – £4,000
Zoned panels with central time control.
- Whole-home retrofit (30 rooms)£15,000 – £35,000
Phased room by room with no residents displaced.
How to size care home heating
| Situation | Sizing guide |
|---|---|
| Resident bedroom (12–18 m²) | 0.7–1.2 kW with room-level control and a target of 21–23 °C; older and less mobile residents need higher, steadier temperatures. |
| Lounges and dining rooms | Zoned to occupancy patterns, with even distribution — residents seated for long periods notice draughts and cold spots immediately. |
| Corridors and circulation | Lower setpoint, separate zone; heating corridors to bedroom temperature is a common and expensive default. |
| Bathrooms and wet rooms | Fast-response radiant rated for the environment, with surface temperature and IP rating checked. |
| Night-time strategy | Do not set back resident areas the way you would an office; hypothermia and infection risk outweigh the saving. |
Disruption and installation time
Work has to happen around residents who cannot be decanted easily. Room-by-room electric radiant is the least disruptive route: one room at a time, no wet system to drain, resident relocated for hours rather than days. Boiler or pipework replacement needs a temporary heating plan agreed with the registered manager in advance.
Regulations and approvals that apply to care homes
- CQC Regulation 15 (premises and equipment) — safe, suitable and properly maintained premises.
- Health and Safety Executive guidance on hot surfaces and hot water in health and social care: exposed surfaces accessible to vulnerable people should be guarded or limited (broadly 43 °C for accessible surfaces).
- HSE and Department of Health guidance on room temperatures for older people, generally 21–23 °C in occupied areas.
- Legionella control (HSG274) where hot-water systems are altered.
- BS 7671 electrical work and fire-safety compliance for penetrations and containment.
Guidance summary only — confirm the current requirement with your local authority, inspector or a qualified engineer before ordering work.
Expensive mistakes in care home heating
- Applying office setback schedules to resident bedrooms.
- Specifying panels with accessible hot surfaces in rooms used by residents with dementia or reduced mobility.
- Heating corridors and bedrooms from one zone.
- Planning a boiler replacement without a written temporary heating plan for inspection.
- Treating running cost as the only criterion when a CQC finding on premises is the real risk.
When radiant heating is the wrong answer
Where a home already has a functioning wet system and gas supply, a boiler or heat-pump replacement with proper zoning and TRVs is usually the more economical route. Electric radiant is strongest for extensions, converted buildings, individual room upgrades and homes with no gas connection.
What to ask before you sign
- What surface temperature do the proposed units reach, and are guards needed?
- Can every resident room be controlled individually, and by whom?
- What is the temporary heating plan while work is carried out?
- How does the design hold 21–23 °C in the coldest rooms on the coldest week?
- What is the maintenance and servicing requirement, and who does it?
Care home heating: FAQs
Reviewed by the Infrared Heat Solutions technical team · Last updated July 2026 · Data sources: Open-Meteo, Ofgem, Energy Saving Trust