How many infrared panels do I need?

Sizing infrared starts with the room's floor area and how well it holds heat. Multiply the area by a watts-per-square-metre figure based on insulation: about 60 W/m² for modern, well-insulated rooms, 90 W/m² for average part-insulated rooms, and 120–130 W/m² for older, poorly insulated or high-ceilinged spaces.

For a 20 m² average lounge, that is 20 × 90 = 1,800 W of panel. You would typically meet that with two or three panels rather than one large unit, so the radiant heat covers the room evenly.

Infrared heats what it can 'see'. A single large panel in one corner leaves cold shadows behind furniture and across the room. Two or three smaller panels, ceiling- or wall-mounted to face the occupied area, give even comfort and let you switch zones on and off.

Ceilings above about 2.7 m, big glazed areas and solid walls all push the wattage up. If in doubt, size up slightly and rely on the thermostat to cut run time — an undersized system runs flat out and never quite gets there.

The rules of thumb get you close, but a proper survey accounts for glazing, ceiling height and how the room is used. Our running-cost calculator lets you plug in your room size and insulation to see both the load and the likely annual cost, and we will confirm the exact panel layout on a free site visit.