Heat pumps and infrared panels are both electric, low-carbon ways to heat a building, but they suit very different jobs. In short: a heat pump is usually the better choice for heating a whole, well-insulated house all day; infrared panels are simpler, cheaper to put in and better for single rooms, occasional use and spaces like churches, offices and garden rooms. Here is how they compare.
How each one works
Infrared panels give off radiant heat, like the warmth of the sun. They warm people, walls, floors and furniture directly, and those surfaces then warm the air. You feel the heat within minutes of switching on.
An air source heat pump takes heat from the outside air and moves it into the house, usually through radiators or wet underfloor heating. For every unit of electricity it uses, it typically delivers around three units of heat over a year. It works best running steadily for long periods.
Quick comparison
| Infrared panels | Air source heat pump | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Low: buy only the panels you need | High, even after the grant |
| Grant | None at present | £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) |
| Running cost per unit of heat | Higher: 1 kWh of electricity gives 1 kWh of heat | Lower: roughly 3 kWh of heat per kWh of electricity |
| Heat-up time | Minutes | Slow; best left running |
| Installation | Wall or ceiling mounted, no pipes | Outdoor unit, pipework, often bigger radiators and a hot water cylinder |
| Maintenance | Almost none; dust occasionally | Annual service recommended |
| Best for | Single rooms, part-time use, churches, offices, garden rooms, flats | Whole homes with good insulation, heated most of the day |
Upfront cost
Infrared panels on our website start from about £180 each in October 2026. A room usually needs one or two, and you can add panels room by room. Our heating calculator shows how many watts a room needs.
A heat pump replaces the whole heating system, so installation is a much bigger job. The government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump in England and Wales. Homes off the gas grid that currently use oil or LPG can get £9,000 until 31 March 2027. There is no grant for infrared panels at present.
Running cost
Both run on electricity. At the October 2026 price cap rate of 26.32p per kWh:
- A 600 W infrared panel costs about 16p an hour while fully on. A thermostat switches it off once the room is warm, so the real cost is lower.
- A heat pump giving the same 600 W of heat uses about 200 W of electricity, around 5p an hour.
So for a whole house heated all day, a heat pump costs less to run. Infrared closes the gap when you heat only the rooms you are using, for the hours you are using them, because it warms up quickly and you are not heating empty rooms. It is also the best value form of direct electric heating: a 2 kW fan heater run for 8 hours costs about £4.21, while a 600 W panel in the same room for the same time costs about £1.26 at most.
Installation and upkeep
Panels fix to a wall or ceiling like a picture. Plug-in models just need a socket; hard-wired panels and thermostats should be connected by a qualified electrician. Our installation partner Standard Electrical Services can quote if you would like them fitted. Panels have no moving parts, so there is nothing to service.
A heat pump needs an outdoor unit, pipework and often larger radiators and a hot water cylinder, fitted by a certified installer. An annual service keeps it efficient.
Which should you choose?
- Choose infrared panels if you want to heat particular rooms, the building is used part-time (churches, halls, offices, garden rooms), you live in a flat where a heat pump is hard to fit, or you want low upfront cost and no maintenance.
- Choose a heat pump if you are replacing a boiler in a well-insulated house that is heated most of the day, and you can use the grant.
- Use both where it helps: a heat pump for the main house and infrared for a garden room, loft room or extension that the heat pump does not reach.
Next step
Browse our infrared heating panels, try the heating calculator, or send us your room sizes for a free quote, usually within one working day.