Infrared vs heat pump installers in the UK
If you are trying to work out who installs what, and why two quotes for the same house look nothing alike, the answer is usually that you are talking to two different trades with different incentives. This page sets out what each actually does, so you can compare the quotes rather than the sales pitch.
Should I use an infrared installer or a heat pump installer?
Get both priced. Heat pump installers are MCS-certified, can access the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant and deliver the lowest running cost for a well-insulated home heated continuously. Infrared installers are electrical contractors, need no wet system or outdoor unit, install in days rather than weeks, and suit rooms, extensions and buildings where a heat pump is impractical.
What each trade actually installs
A heat pump installer works to MCS standards, carries out a room-by-room heat-loss calculation, usually upgrades radiators or fits underfloor heating, installs an outdoor unit and a hot-water cylinder, and completes the grant paperwork. Expect one to three weeks on site and significant disruption.
An infrared installer is an electrical contractor. They calculate the output needed, run circuits, mount panels or radiant heaters, and fit thermostats and zone controls. There is no wet system, flue, cylinder or outdoor unit, so a house is typically done in one to three days and a single room in hours.
Where the honest advantage sits
On running cost for a whole, reasonably insulated home heated continuously, the heat pump wins, because a seasonal COP of around 3.2 means roughly one unit of electricity delivers three units of heat. Nothing resistive can match that, and any infrared supplier claiming otherwise should be treated with caution.
On capital cost, speed, zoning, maintenance and suitability for solid-walled, listed or intermittently used buildings, radiant electric heating wins. Heating one occupied room on demand can beat heating a whole house efficiently, which is why the right comparison is your building and occupancy, not the two technologies in the abstract.
How to get a fair comparison
Ask both for the same three numbers: total installed cost after any grant, estimated annual running cost for your actual occupancy pattern, and the days on site. Then ask what fabric work each assumes, because a heat pump quote that depends on insulation upgrades is not comparable to one that does not.
We are not installers. We assess the building, produce that comparison, and route the project to vetted installers in the relevant trade, which is why we are able to recommend a heat pump when it is the better answer.
A sensible shortlist
- Ask both trades for installed cost after grants, annual running cost and days on site.
- Check whether each quote assumes insulation or radiator upgrades.
- Confirm MCS certification for any heat pump grant claim.
- Confirm NICEIC or NAPIT registration for electrical work.
- Model running cost on your real occupancy, not continuous heating.
- Be wary of any supplier claiming resistive heating beats a heat pump on efficiency.
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