Infrared panels for commercial office space
Offices are a good fit for radiant ceiling heating for one specific reason: people sit still in the same places for hours. That makes zoning straightforward and makes the difference between heating desks and heating a whole floor plate very large indeed.
Are infrared panels suitable for a commercial office?
Yes, particularly in suspended-ceiling fit-outs, where 600 by 600 millimetre panels drop into the standard grid alongside lighting, including combined panels with integrated LED. They suit cellular offices, meeting rooms used intermittently, and floors with no gas supply. For a large open-plan floor heated all day, a heat pump air-conditioning system is usually cheaper to run and also provides cooling.
Why offices suit radiant ceiling heating
Occupancy is predictable and static, so output can be concentrated over desks and meeting tables rather than circulation space and store rooms. Panels are silent, need no maintenance visits, and have no plant space, flue or outdoor unit requirement, which matters in a leased upper floor.
The standard 600 by 600 grid format means a fit-out can integrate heating and lighting in the same ceiling plan, and combined LED and radiant panels exist precisely for that. Zoning by room or by desk cluster is then a wiring decision rather than a plumbing one.
Sizing and specification
Allow roughly 60 to 100 watts per square metre depending on insulation, glazing area and whether the floor sits above unheated space, then confirm with a heat-loss calculation. Check the ceiling void depth and grid loading for the panel weight, and check the distribution board capacity for the total connected load.
Controls matter more than the panels. Occupancy sensing or timed zones tied to actual working hours are what keep the running cost defensible, because electricity at around 24.5p per kWh punishes systems left on out of hours.
Running cost and when to choose something else
For a meeting room used a few hours a day, zoned radiant heating is very hard to beat on total cost because nothing is heated when the room is empty. For a fully occupied open-plan floor requiring both heating and summer cooling, a reversible heat pump system almost always wins on lifetime cost even though the capital cost is higher.
We compare both for commercial fit-outs, including the mixed answer that is often correct: heat pump air conditioning in the open plan, radiant panels in cellular offices, meeting rooms and welfare areas.
A sensible shortlist
- Confirm ceiling grid type, void depth and load capacity before specifying panels.
- Get a heat-loss calculation rather than a watts-per-square-metre assumption.
- Check distribution board capacity for the full connected load.
- Zone by room or desk cluster and tie controls to working hours.
- Decide whether summer cooling is needed before ruling out a heat pump system.
- Confirm NICEIC or NAPIT registration and certification for the electrical work.
Frequently asked questions
Reviewed by the Infrared Heat Solutions technical team · Last updated July 2026 · Data sources: Ofgem price cap, Energy Saving Trust, first-party running-cost model