Infrared Heating Explained: How It Works and When to Choose It
Heat the people, not the air.
Infrared heating panels warm the surfaces and people in a room directly, the way sunshine warms your skin on a cold day. This guide explains how infrared actually works, when it beats a conventional radiator, and how to size and mount a panel, with slim WiFi controlled infrared panels from £189.
How do infrared heaters work?
Every warm object gives off infrared radiation. An infrared heating panel simply does it deliberately: an electric element warms the flat face of the panel, and that face radiates far infrared energy out across the room in straight lines, like light from a lamp.
The clever part is what the energy does next. Infrared passes through air almost untouched and is absorbed by the solid things it lands on: floors, walls, furniture and people. Those surfaces warm up and then re-radiate gentle heat of their own, so the fabric of the room becomes the heat store. You feel warm quickly because the panel is warming you directly, not waiting for an entire roomful of air to come up to temperature first.
It is exactly the same mechanism that makes sunshine feel warm on a winter walk, without any of the ultraviolet. A conventional convector heater or radiator works the other way round: it heats air, the warm air rises to the ceiling, circulates, and slowly brings the room up to temperature. That air-first approach is efficient in a well sealed room, but the moment a door opens or a draught runs through, the heat you paid for leaves with the air. Radiant heat stored in walls and floors stays put.
Infrared heating vs radiator: when each one wins.
Awkward, lofty, leaky.
Infrared wins in rooms with high ceilings, poorly insulated or draughty spaces, conservatories, workshops and garages, and anywhere you want spot heating: a desk, a reading chair, a workbench. Because it does not rely on trapped warm air, it delivers usable warmth within minutes in spaces convection struggles with. Browse our radiant and infrared electric heaters for the full radiant range.
Steady whole-room heat.
A convector or electric radiator is still the right tool for well insulated living rooms and bedrooms where you want the whole air volume held at a steady thermostat temperature all evening. Our electric heaters and electric radiators category covers 47 options across both camps.
Most homes do.
Plenty of customers run convectors in the main living spaces and add a slim infrared panel for the one awkward spot: the home office in the loft, the bathroom mirror wall, the patio. Outdoors, an IP65 rated radiant heater like the 2.4KW Infrared Outdoor Patio Heater WiFi and Remote Controllable IP65 at £189.00 is the only technology that works at all, because there is no air to trap.
Slim white panels, mirrored panels, and where glass fits in.
Our core range is the wall mounted thin panel infrared heater done properly: a slimline infrared heater panel just 22mm deep, with WiFi and remote control built in, in outputs from 350W to 1200W.
If you searched for a glass infrared heater, a mirror infrared heater or an infrared bathroom mirror heater, look at the mirrored range: glass-faced panels only 12mm deep whose mirror finish doubles as a wall mirror while it heats, from £189.00. There is even a round version, the 320W Round Mirrored WiFi Infrared Electric Heater with WiFi and Remote Control at £333.00. All 20 panels are in stock in our infrared electric heaters category with free next working day delivery to mainland UK and the Isle of Man.
| Panel | Size (mm) | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 350W WiFi Infrared Electric Heater with WiFi and Remote Control | 595 x 595 x 22 | £242.00 | View |
| 580W WiFi Infrared Electric Heater with WiFi and Remote Control | 595 x 995 x 22 | £289.00 | View |
| 700W WiFi Infrared Electric Heater with WiFi and Remote Control | 595 x 1195 x 22 | £324.00 | View |
| 900W WiFi Infrared Electric Heater with WiFi and Remote Control | 795 x 1195 x 22 | £380.00 | View |
| 1200W WiFi Infrared Electric Heater with WiFi and Remote Control | 995 x 1195 x 22 | £433.00 | View |
| 320W Mirrored WiFi Infrared Electric Heater with WiFi and Remote Control | 595 x 595 x 12 | £189.00 | View |
| 700W Mirrored WiFi Infrared Electric Heater with WiFi and Remote Control 595 x 595 x 12mm | 595 x 595 x 12 | £358.00 | View |
Prefer a radiant heater that behaves more like a wall mounted radiator, with an onboard thermostat and timer? The Radialight family blends radiant and convected warmth: the Radialight Klima Dual Therm, Electric Heater / Wall Mounted Radiator, Flat Panel with Timer, Thermostat at £122.10, the app-connected Radialight KLIMA WiFi Smart Radiant Heater / Wall Mounted Radiator with Thermostat and Timer at £162.25, and the Radialight Kyoto Dual Therm Radiant Panel Heater, Wall Mounted Smart Radiator at £165.55. For bathrooms there is the programmable Radialight Onsen Vertical Bathroom Heater Programmable 750w at £166.65.
Where to mount it, and what size to buy.
Wall mounting
Wall mounted infrared heating panels want a clear line of sight to where people actually sit or stand, mounted reasonably high so furniture does not shade the room. At 22mm or 12mm deep they sit flatter to the wall than any radiator, which is why so many people search for a slim infrared heater in the first place.
Ceiling mounting
Infrared ceiling heaters are popular in offices and shops because a ceiling mounted panel radiates evenly over the whole floor and frees the walls entirely. Our current panels are supplied with wall mounting fixings; if you are planning a ceiling installation, call us on 01325 717 899 first and we will confirm suitability for your panel and ceiling type rather than have you guess.
The sizing calculator
Infrared needs less installed power than convection because none of it is spent warming air you then ventilate away. The rule of thumb for a typical room is 50 to 60W per square metre, against the roughly 80W per square metre you would allow for convection heating. So a 12 m2 home office needs around 600 to 720W: the 700W panel fits. Add a margin for high ceilings, big windows or poor insulation, and step up a size rather than run a small panel flat out.
Controls and the app
Every WiFi panel above ships with a remote control and app control, so you can set schedules and temperatures from your phone. Setup follows the pairing instructions supplied with the panel; if the app will not find the heater, our team walks customers through it on 01325 717 899.
Welltherm panels are discontinued. Here is the equivalent.
If you arrived here searching for Welltherm metal or glass infrared panels, they are no longer made. Our current infrared panels are the direct equivalent: slim, wall mounted flat panels doing the same job, with WiFi control added.
For a Welltherm metal panel, the closest matches are the 22mm white panels such as the 900W WiFi Infrared Electric Heater with WiFi and Remote Control 795 x 1195 x 22 at £380.00. For a Welltherm glass panel, choose a mirrored glass-faced model such as the 580W Mirrored WiFi Infrared Electric Heater with WiFi and Remote Control 595 x 595 x 12mm at £325.00. The whole replacement range lives in infrared electric heaters.
The mirrored panels are the quiet stars of the range: in a bathroom or hallway they read as a normal mirror, with the heat as a bonus. The round 320W round mirrored heater (£333.00) suits cloakrooms and hallways; the rectangular 700W mirrored panel (£358.00) earns its place over a basin.
See the Mirrored Range
Before you buy.
How do infrared heating panels work?
An electric element warms the panel face, which radiates far infrared energy across the room. That energy passes through the air and is absorbed by floors, walls, furniture and people, which warm up and re-radiate heat. It is the same radiant warmth as sunshine, without ultraviolet.
Is infrared heating cheaper to run than a radiator?
Electricity costs the same per kWh whatever the heater, so there is no magic. The saving comes from needing a lower installed wattage (around 50 to 60W per m2 rather than roughly 100W per m2) and from heating people directly instead of the full air volume. In draughty or tall rooms the gap is real; in a small, well insulated room it is modest.
Can infrared panels be mounted on the ceiling?
Ceiling mounting is common for infrared generally, and it gives very even coverage. Our current panels come with wall fixings, so before a ceiling installation call 01325 717 899 and we will confirm whether your chosen model is suitable.
What size infrared panel do I need?
Multiply the floor area by 50 to 60W per square metre for a typical room. A 10 m2 bedroom needs 500 to 600W, so the 580W panel fits; a 12 m2 office suits the 700W. Add capacity for high ceilings, large glazing or poor insulation.
Are infrared panels safe in bathrooms?
Yes, when the model is suitable for the zone it is fitted in and the installation is done by a qualified electrician to BS 7671 and Part P, from a fused spur, respecting bathroom IP zones. A mirrored panel outside the wet zones is a popular choice, and the Radialight Onsen is designed specifically as a vertical bathroom heater.
Do you still sell Welltherm infrared panels?
No. Welltherm metal and glass panels are discontinued. Our current WiFi infrared panels are the equivalent replacements, in white 22mm and mirrored 12mm versions, all in stock with free next working day delivery.
Ready to heat what actually matters?
All 20 infrared panels are in stock now, with free next working day delivery to mainland UK and the Isle of Man, and real people on 01325 717 899 if you want a second opinion on sizing.
Shop Infrared Electric HeatersThis is one of our buying guides: read Convector Heaters Explained: Panel, Convector and Oil Filled Compared or Curved vs Straight Heated Towel Rails: Which Should You Buy? next.