There are 3 types of heat transfer: Conduction, Convection and Radiant Heating.  Infrared heating is radiant heating and it differs from conduction and convection because it transfers heat to objects and people directly, without heating something else in between (air, water, metal etc.). Convection heaters heat air, which rises to the ceiling where the heat is not required and can quickly disappear on draughts. Infrared heating directly heats the walls, floor and ceiling of a building to build up thermal mass which will then start radiating back into the room. Radiant heat transfer is a very efficient form of electric heating.

Infrared heating is a fantastic solution for those wanting to improve their carbon footprint and move to a more sustainable, low carbon form of heating. The future is electric and infrared heating is a hugely practical electric heating solution that offers a greener alternative to gas boilers. Quick to install, infrared heaters provide a very practical way to switch to a lower carbon solution and reduce emissions. Infrared heating can be powered by solar panels and linked with battery storage to reduce reliance on the grid and future proof energy costs. Infrared heating can also be powered by a renewable energy tariff to deliver the quickest way to reach net zero heating.

Infrared heaters offer a vast number of benefits in terms of efficiency, comfort and practicality. Infrared heating is a low energy, efficient electric heating solution that can be combined with renewables to give you a sustainable heating solution. It is simple to install and is maintenance free, minimising the disruption caused by underfloor heating and avoiding the annual maintenance costs required by heat pumps. Available in a number of stylish finishes, infrared heaters provide a modern and space-saving option whatever the environment and free up valuable floor space. Infrared heating is also widely recognised for delivering improved comfort levels, with a natural and fresh feeling of heat rather than the stuffy heat that alternative heating solutions can often create. Infrared heating is also great for buildings as it maintains a higher temperature in the material of the building, reducing the causes of moisture and minimises condensation, damp and mould.

Infrared heating needs to be specified correctly to ensure the benefits of infrared are optimised. For homes, we have a handy online calculator which allows you to enter the details of your property and dimensions of the rooms you require heating in. This will then provide you with a recommendation of the Herschel infrared heaters that will match your requirements.

For commercial buildings or outdoor areas, indicative guides are available on our website to show the size of infrared heaters required. We also offer a free, no obligation specification service from our team of infrared heating specialists who will tailor a recommendation just for you. Our team can be contacted through our Contact Us page or by using our online chat facility.

Managing electricity costs is a continuing priority for people as they seek to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels for heating and make the switch to electric heating. Electric infrared heaters will keep you comfortably warm whilst minimising energy consumption and electricity costs. Let’s explain how infrared heaters are energy efficient, how much electricity infrared heaters use and how you can use them to keep track of your energy bills.

How to calculate how much electricity your infrared heaters will use?

Infrared heaters offer people the flexibility to run their heaters in whatever way what works best for them. They differ from heat pumps which run for long periods of the day and rely on their coefficient of performance (COP) to keep the overall costs down. With Infrared, people can choose to only heat specific rooms or areas, they can power them in conjunction with time of use tariffs to prime the thermal mass and make the most of the opportunity provided by cheaper, off-peak energy tariffs, or however they choose. The difference with Infrared is that there is no need to run your heating 24/7. Decentralised control means minimising your energy consumption whilst maximising your comfort levels and this flexibility is how the cost savings are made.

Very simply, however, to calculate how much it costs to run infrared heaters you need to know your pence per kW hour. This is the price you are charged by your electricity supplier, as per your electric bill, for each kW of electricity used.

So let’s look at a Comfort 600W infrared heating panel, as an example. At an average of 6 hours a day, we can assume an electricity cost of 25 pence per kW (average as at September 2024).

Heater Output (kW) x Cost Per kW Hour (pence) x Hours in Use = Daily Cost (pence)

0.6kW x 25p x 6 hours = 90 pence per day

To understand the cost per room and per house, you will need to take into account how much wattage you need for each room and this will be based on the size of the rooms as well as their insulation levels. Our handy online calculator can work out a specification for you. Alternatively, our specification team can discuss your heating requirements with you and provide you with a free quote detailing what heaters you will need.

Will infrared heaters save me money?

Infrared heating offers an energy efficient heating solution due to the way in which it uses radiant heat technology to warm people and buildings. Not only are infrared heaters energy efficient in the way they heat, they can also save you money due to their zero servicing requirement plus their lower purchase and installation cost than alternative, low carbon heating solutions. We even offer some DIY-friendly and portable heating options.

As with any heating solution, the more you can do to improve the heat loss of your home, through for example insulation, the better and the lower your heating requirement will be.

Are there real-life scenarios of households that have made the switch to infrared panel heaters that show how much they have saved in energy costs?

Our customer contacted us to share how he had changed his heating system from gas and installed infrared, alongside solar PV, and this has given him an 80% reduction on his bills. Take a look at the case study here.

Why are infrared heaters energy efficient?

Radiant heat technology warms people directly

Infrared heaters use radiant heat transfer to warm people and objects directly, this differs from convection-based heating systems that heat the air. Air retains heat poorly and can easily be lost on draughts or cold spots. As a result, heating air requires much higher energy.

Turn your room into a 360° radiator

By using radiant heat transfer to heat objects, people and the fabric of the building directly, the thermal mass of the room warms up. The thermal mass is able to retain the heat, radiating it back into the room and keeping the environment warmer for longer. As a result, infrared heaters only need to be on to top up. This is why Herschel Infrared heaters save energy.

Targeted zone heating

Infrared heating is unique in its ability to heat specific zones or areas. Rather than heating every room in the house to the same temperature, even when they are unoccupied, infrared heaters can be used to precisely heat each room as and when you need it. Not only that, each infrared heating panel can be controlled independently. So, if you have a space in your living room that is frequently occupied and in which you’d like more targeted comfort, simply install a heating panel over that specific area and leave the unused areas unheated.

Zero heat loss

Infrared heaters are 100% efficient. Every watt of energy is converted into radiant warmth that can be used directly from the mains. There is no heat loss from clunky, poorly insulated pipes and little ‘infiltration loss’ due to warm air disappearing through open doors.

Leading the way in Innovation Development

Herschel is at the forefront of infrared heating and we have used our experience as UK market leader, alongside extensive research and development, to keep driving innovation in our infrared technology. Our UK made Herschel Comfort infrared panel heater features Herschel’s innovative Swift Comfort Plus system to deliver enhanced performance. This includes our new high performance, long life German made heating element which heats up to higher temperatures extremely quickly from startup and delivers an optimum spread of heat across the surface of the panel. A combination of high quality, UK made insulation material and a specially treated radiant reflective stainless steel back panel also reduces rearward heat loss by over 20%. The result is the best infrared panel currently available.  Comfort has been tested and approved to the new IEC 60675 standard for radiant efficiency.

With a 10 year warranty, our solid state Comfort infrared heating panels contain no moving parts, offering a long life, energy efficient heating solution. For additional peace of mind for our customers, and for the environment, we’ve also made sure our Comfort infrared heating panels are fully repairable.

How do I switch to infrared heating and use it as energy efficiently as possible?

• Simply calculate your heating requirement by using our handy online calculator or, alternatively, we offer free specification quotes or virtual consultations with our team, consultation appointments can be booked here.
• Choose your infrared panel heaters and thermostat controllers from our full range.
• Once you’ve installed your infrared heaters, be sure to maximise the unrivalled control capabilities offered by infrared to manage your heating bills as efficiently as possible.
• With smart App-enabled, flexible control of your infrared heaters from anywhere in the world, our range of thermostats incorporate Lot 20 compliant Energy-Saving features such as Open Window technology and Adaptive Start.
• You can also set up your own customised heating routines via App control to suit your lifestyle, and benefit from geofencing to automate your heating and save you energy. Why heat your house when you are not there? The addition of our motion sensors can also save energy based on room occupancy, when used in conjunction with Herschel’s App-enabled thermostats.

Alongside our infrared heating panels for homes, we offer energy efficient heating solutions across the built environment including commercial, heritage and industrial buildings.

Our XLS and iQ ranges work slightly differently from each other but in summary it is possible to pair multiple panels to one thermostat, as follows:

Herschel Select XLS Range

T-MT, T-BT, T-PL

You can pair multiple Heater Panels to a single thermostat using the standard pairing procedure on the panel instructions.

Herschel iQ Range

MD2, T-MKS, T-MKW

Up to 16 amps of heater load can be directly wired through the MD2.  If the overall heater load to be controlled by the MD2 exceeds 16 amps, then an appropriately sized contactor must be used to handle the heater load and the MD2 just switches the contactor.

T2/R2

Multiple R2s can be paired with a T2.

Up to 10 amps of heater load can be directly wired to an R2.

Where overall heater load exceeds 10 amps, you could use a contactor (as MD2 above), but it is probably more pragmatic to use multiple R2s and just pair these to the T2.