Workshop heating cost: what you pay to install and to run
Workshop heating is one of the few areas where the running cost is decided almost entirely by how you use the system rather than which system you buy. The numbers below separate installation from running cost so you can see where the money actually goes.
How much does it cost to heat a workshop?
Installing radiant heating in a typical 100–200 m² workshop costs roughly £1,500–£6,000, and running two 2 kW radiant heaters over one working bay costs about £1 an hour at a 24.5p/kWh electricity rate. The single biggest saving is zoning: heating one occupied bay instead of the whole unit routinely halves the winter bill.
Installation cost by workshop size
Single bench or bay: £400–£1,200 for one or two radiant units on a local switch, plus a circuit if one is not available.
Workshop up to 100 m²: £1,500–£3,500 for 3–6 kW split across at least two zones.
Workshop of 100–250 m²: £3,500–£9,000 for 6–15 kW zoned by activity, with timers or occupancy control.
Add a consumer unit or supply upgrade where the existing board has no spare capacity — that is the item most often missing from a cheap quote.
Running cost, honestly calculated
Electric radiant heating uses one kWh of electricity for one kWh of heat, so the arithmetic is simple: output in kW multiplied by hours multiplied by your unit rate. At 24.5p/kWh, 4 kW of radiant heat over a five-hour working day costs about £4.90.
That is why zoning dominates. A 12 kW whole-unit system left on from 7am costs three times as much as 4 kW over the bay actually being used, for the same comfort where a person is standing. If the roof is uninsulated, insulating it first reduces required output for every hour thereafter.
Where gas and other options stand
Where the unit already has a gas supply, a radiant tube heater has a lower fuel cost per kWh but adds flue work, Gas Safe commissioning and annual servicing to the capital and ownership cost. For a small workshop used part of the week, those fixed costs usually outweigh the fuel saving. For a unit heated all day every day, gas radiant is worth pricing.
A sensible shortlist
- Price the circuit or board upgrade, not just the heaters.
- Split the workshop into at least two independently switched zones.
- Match the output to working positions rather than the room's total area.
- Check IP ratings against dust, damp and spray in your workshop.
- Insulate the roof before increasing output if the shed is metal-clad.
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