Infrared heating panels
Infrared panels are the most common form of infrared heating in UK homes and small commercial spaces. They are flat, wall- or ceiling-mounted electric heaters that emit long-wave infrared — the same gentle radiant warmth you feel from the sun or a warm wall. Because they heat mass rather than air, a room feels comfortable within minutes and stays comfortable even with some ventilation. This guide covers the panel types, how to size them, what they genuinely cost to run, and where they are — and are not — the right choice.
What are infrared heating panels?
Infrared heating panels are slim electric radiant heaters that warm objects, surfaces and people directly rather than heating the air. A typical domestic panel is 300–900 W, costs about 7–22p an hour to run at the current price cap, and is sized at roughly 60 W/m² for a well-insulated room up to 130 W/m² for a poorly insulated one. They suit single rooms, retrofits and hard-to-heat spaces; a heat pump is still cheaper for continuous whole-home heating.
Types of infrared panel
Rooms with little free wall space, open-plan areas, offices and suspended-ceiling spaces.
Most living rooms, bedrooms, home offices and tall rooms where you want to aim the heat across the space.
Bathrooms, en-suites, bedrooms and hallways where a mirror is wanted and wall space is limited.
Living rooms, hallways, offices and any space where you want the heater to look like wall art.
Bathrooms, en-suites, shower rooms and wet rooms needing quick, controllable warmth.
Contemporary living rooms, kitchens and offices where finish and looks are a priority.
How infrared panels heat a room
A panel warms up and radiates long-wave infrared, which passes through the air and is absorbed by floors, walls, furniture and people. Those warmed surfaces gently re-radiate heat, so the room feels warm at body level quickly rather than waiting for the whole air volume to warm up. This is why infrared works where warm-air heating struggles — high ceilings, draughty rooms and intermittently used spaces.
Every panel is a resistive electric heater, so one unit of electricity becomes one unit of heat. There is no efficiency trick and no honest 'save 60%' claim: a heat pump moving three units of heat per unit of electricity is always cheaper to run for whole-home heating. Infrared's saving is in where and when it heats — the occupied zone, on demand.
How to size infrared panels (watts per m²)
Start with the room's floor area and how well it holds heat. As a rule of thumb allow around 60 W/m² for a modern, well-insulated room, 90 W/m² for an average part-insulated room, and 120–130 W/m² for older, poorly insulated or high-ceilinged spaces. A 15 m² average living room therefore needs roughly 1,350 W of panel.
Spread that load across two or three panels rather than one large unit, so the radiant heat reaches the whole room and you avoid cold shadows behind furniture. Big glazed areas, ceilings above about 2.7 m and solid walls all push the wattage up. If unsure, size up slightly and let the thermostat cut run time — an undersized system runs flat out and never quite gets there.
What infrared panels cost to run
Running cost is simply the panel's wattage × hours used × the electricity unit rate (about 24.5p per kWh at the current price cap). A 600 W panel run for four hours a day costs roughly 59p a day. The bill depends far more on run time and how well the room holds heat than on the panel itself — which is why we size to the building and use the degree-day method rather than quoting a flat percentage.
Infrared heating panels: FAQs
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