Infrared heating guides
Straight answers to the questions people actually ask about infrared heating — built on real running-cost data, not marketing slogans. No hype, no fake percentage savings.
Infrared panels emit long-wave infrared radiation that warms objects, surfaces and people directly — the same way the sun warms your skin on a cold, clear day. Because it heats mass rather than air, a room feels warm quickly and stays comfortable even with some ventilation, which is why infrared suits high, draughty or intermittently used spaces.
A typical infrared panel draws between 300 and 900 watts, similar to any electric heater of the same output. Running a 600 W panel for four hours a day costs roughly £0.59 at the current price cap of about 24.5p per kWh. The bill depends far more on how long you run it and how well the room holds heat than on the panel itself.
As a rule of thumb, allow around 60 W/m² for a well-insulated room, 90 W/m² for an average room and 130 W/m² for a poorly insulated one. A 15 m² average living room therefore needs roughly 1,350 W — two 700 W panels, or one 900 W plus one 450 W — spread across the room rather than concentrated in one spot.
Infrared can make a poorly insulated room feel warm quickly because it heats you and the surfaces directly rather than the leaky air. But no electric heater escapes physics: a draughty room loses heat fast, so running costs will be higher than in a well-insulated home. Infrared is best used here for targeted, occupied-zone heating alongside basic insulation improvements.
Yes — infrared panels are one of the most popular replacements for old storage heaters. They are slimmer, give instant room-by-room control instead of dumping heat on a fixed schedule, and need no servicing. The one thing to check is your tariff: storage heaters use cheap off-peak units, so to match that, pair infrared with a smart tariff or run it mainly in occupied hours.
Infrared running cost = the room's annual heat demand × the current electricity price (about 24.5p per kWh), adjusted for the fact that infrared heats only occupied zones on demand. Heat demand depends on room size, insulation and local climate, which is why we use the degree-day method rather than a flat 'save 60%' claim.