Infrared heating, explained.
Infrared is the same kind of warmth you feel from the sun on a cold, clear day. It heats objects and people directly, instead of trying to warm the air around them. Here's how that works, and why it matters.
Where infrared sits.
Light is only a sliver of the electromagnetic spectrum. Just past the red end of what your eye can see is infrared, invisible, but you feel it as warmth. Our panels emit far infrared: the long-wavelength, gentle end of that band. It carries no ultraviolet, which is the part of sunlight that burns skin.
Heating objects, not air.
Convection · Radiators, fan heaters
Warms the air first
A radiator warms the air touching it. That air rises, cools, sinks, and circulates. You only feel warm once enough of the room's air has been heated and because warm air rises, most of it collects at the ceiling.
- Slow to feel warm from cold
- Heat pools at ceiling height, cold at floor level
- Warmth escapes each time a door opens
- Moving air carries dust with it
Radiation · Infrared panels
Warms you and the room
Infrared travels in straight lines like light and is absorbed by whatever it lands on — floors, walls, furniture, people. Those surfaces warm up and gently release that heat back, so the room holds its warmth.
- You feel warmth very quickly
- Even from floor to ceiling — warm toes, not a hot ceiling
- Surfaces stay warm, so heat recovers quickly
- Still air — no draughts, no dust blown around
Like stepping into sunshine.
Step from shade into sun on a cold day and you feel warm instantly even though the air temperature hasn't changed at all. That's radiant heat, and it's why a room heated by infrared can feel comfortable at a lower air temperature than one heated by radiators.
It's also why the heat feels different: soft and enveloping rather than stuffy. Because nothing is drying and circulating the air, rooms don't get that close, congested feeling, and there's no fan noise in the background.
- Warmth you feel in minutes, not after half an hour
- No dry, stuffy air and no blown dust
- Completely silent — no fans, no moving parts
Where the savings actually come from.
Every electric heater turns essentially all the electricity it draws into heat. So the saving isn't in making heat more cheaply, but it's in wasting far less of it. That happens in four ways:
Comfort at a lower setting
Radiant warmth means you feel comfortable without pushing the air temperature as high — and every degree you don't heat is energy you save.
No heat stuck at the ceiling
Convection sends your warmth straight up. Infrared puts it at floor and body level, where it's useful — especially in tall rooms.
Heat only what's in use
Each panel is its own zone on its own thermostat, so you heat one room or one work area rather than a whole building.
On and off
There's no slow warm-up or long cool-down to plan around, so short bursts of heating aren't wasted.
Together, that's how our customers see running costs up to 40% lower than conventional electric heating. Your own figure depends on your building, insulation and how you use the space — our calculator will give you a realistic starting point.
Pairs naturally with solar.
Infrared panels do one simple thing: draw electricity and turn it into warmth. There's no gas supply, no water pipes and no combustion which means they can run directly off your solar panels or your battery.
As the grid itself gets cleaner, all-electric heating gets cleaner with it, without you changing a thing. And with no burning at the point of use, there are no local emissions inside the building.
- Runs straight off on-site solar PV and battery storage
- No gas connection, flue or combustion
- Gets greener automatically as the grid decarbonises
Rooms infrared suits.
Well-insulated rooms
Warm surfaces hold their heat, so infrared performs best where that warmth isn't leaking straight back out.
Tall or open spaces
Studios, churches, warehouses — anywhere heating the whole air volume is slow and expensive.
Rooms used in bursts
Spare rooms, meeting rooms, garden offices — rapid heat with flexible controls.
Where space is tight
Panels sit flush to a wall or ceiling and free up the floor and walls that radiators take up.
Where quiet matters
Studios, bedrooms, offices and libraries — no fan noise and no moving air.
Draughty entrances
Warmth returns fast after a door opens, because the surfaces never lost their heat.
Straight answers.
Is infrared heating safe?
Yes. Far infrared is simply radiant heat. It is the same warmth you feel from the sun, a fire, or a warm wall, and the same kind your own body gives off constantly. It's a completely different thing from ultraviolet, which is the part of sunlight that burns and tans. Our panels emit no UV.
Is infrared the same as a microwave?
No. They're different parts of the spectrum and they behave very differently. Microwaves are tuned to penetrate food and agitate water molecules inside it. Far infrared is absorbed at the surface of whatever it lands on, warming it gently, exactly as sunlight warms your skin.
Do infrared heaters dry out the air?
No and this is one of the main comfort differences. Because infrared warms objects rather than blowing air around, it doesn't circulate and dry the air the way convection and fan heaters do. Rooms tend to feel fresher rather than stuffy, and settled dust stays settled.
Do the panels need to be in direct line of sight?
Largely, yes. Infrared travels in straight lines like light, so panels work best with a clear view of the space. That said, it isn't only about direct rays: the floors, walls and furniture that absorb it warm up and release that heat back into the room, so the whole space becomes comfortable rather than just the spot under the panel.
Are infrared panels expensive to run?
They're designed to be cheaper to run than conventional electric heating, up to 40% cheaper. The saving comes from wasting less: radiant comfort at a lower air temperature, no heat pooling at the ceiling, per-room zoning and instant response. Your actual figure depends on your building, insulation and usage.
Can I run them on solar panels?
Yes. Infrared panels simply draw electricity, so they'll run off on-site solar PV and battery storage with no special setup.
How many panels do I need?
It depends on room size, ceiling height, insulation and how the space is used. Our calculator gives you a quick estimate, or send us your dimensions and we'll size it for you.
Is installation complicated?
No. Panels mount to a wall or ceiling and connect to your electrics. There's no need for a boiler, pipework or wet system. There's nothing to service annually and no moving parts to fail.
Ready to work out what you need?
Use the calculator for a quick estimate, or tell us about your space and we'll size it properly and give you a no-obligation price.