How much does it cost to heat a garage per hour?

A 1 kW radiant heater costs about 24.5p per hour at the current Ofgem cap. Two hours of use a day through winter is roughly £45 over the season.

Can you heat an uninsulated garage?

You can make it comfortable with radiant heat because it warms you rather than the air, but heating an uninsulated garage to a whole-room temperature is never economical.

What size heater do I need for a double garage?

For spot comfort, 1–2 kW aimed at the working area. For whole-space heating of an uninsulated double garage, allow around 100–130 W/m².

Is a garage heater safe to leave on?

Panels with a thermostat and timer are designed for unattended operation, but portable fan and gas heaters should never be left running unattended.

Garage heating: heat for the hours you are actually in there

Garages, home gyms and hobby workshops share one characteristic: intermittent use. That makes instant, targeted heat far more economical than any system designed to hold a whole space at temperature.

Quick answer

What is the cheapest way to heat a garage?

A radiant panel or heater aimed at where you stand, run only while you are in there. Insulating the garage door first will cut whatever you spend on heat by a third or more.

The problem with garage heating

A garage is usually uninsulated, detached from the house heating and used for an hour at a time. Anything that needs to warm up slowly is the wrong answer.

Zoning strategy: Heat the bench, bike or workout area — not the whole slab.

Options compared

System	Verdict	Upfront	Running
Infrared / radiant panels Instant warmth on the spot you occupy, with nothing wasted on the rest of the garage.	Best fit	Low	Medium
Electric fan heater Warms air that leaks straight out of an uninsulated shell.	Poor fit	Very low	Very high
Extending house central heating Pipework, building-regs implications and a slow warm-up for occasional use.	Poor fit	High	Medium
Insulate first, then heat Insulating the door and roof will cut running costs of any system by a third or more.	Best fit	Medium	Cuts everything else

Indicative annual heating cost — 18 m², older / poorly insulated

Degree-day method at UK average 2000 HDD, Ofgem price cap (indicative, 2026). Whole-space figures — zoning typically cuts these substantially.

Infrared panels£396/yr
Air-source heat pump£159/yr
Gas central heating£143/yr
Old electric / storage heaters£508/yr

Run the numbers for your own building →

What garage heating costs to install

Single panel or radiant heater£150 – £400
Plus electrician time if hard-wired.
Double garage, zoned£500 – £1,200
Two to three panels on a timer or thermostat.
Insulated home gym conversion£1,500+
Insulation plus panels and controls.

Garage heating: FAQs

Reviewed by the Infrared Heat Solutions technical team · Last updated July 2026 · Data sources: Open-Meteo, Ofgem, Energy Saving Trust

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