Heating an office efficiently is about more than the price of energy. Staff need to be comfortable at their desks, meeting rooms are used on and off through the day, and nobody wants noisy fans or bulky radiators taking up wall space. Infrared heating panels are a simple, effective way to meet all of those needs.
The problem with warm air heating
Convector heaters, fan heaters and most radiators work by warming the air. Warm air rises, so the ceiling ends up warmer than the desks, and every time a door opens some of that heat is lost. In open-plan offices this often leads to one end of the room being too hot and the other too cold.
How infrared panels work
Infrared panels warm people, furniture, walls and floors directly, in the same way that sunshine warms you on a cold, bright day. The surfaces in the room then release that warmth back into the space, giving an even, draught-free heat at the level where people actually sit.
Benefits for offices
- Comfort: even warmth across the room without hot and cold spots or warm air blowing around.
- Fast response: panels warm up within minutes, so there is no need to heat the office for hours before people arrive.
- Room-by-room control: each room or zone has its own programmable thermostat, so meeting rooms and empty areas are only heated when needed. This is where most of the energy savings come from.
- Saves space: panels are slim and can be mounted on walls or ceilings. Ceiling grid panels drop straight into a standard suspended ceiling grid in place of a ceiling tile.
- Quiet and clean: no fans and very little air movement, so less dust is moved around.
- No maintenance: no moving parts, no water and no annual service.
How much heating does an office need?
As a rough guide, heating is calculated from the room volume (length x width x ceiling height) and how well the building is insulated:
| Insulation | Approximate heat needed |
|---|---|
| Good | 25 W per cubic metre |
| Average | 30 W per cubic metre |
| Poor | 35 W per cubic metre |
For example, an office 6 m x 5 m with a 2.5 m ceiling has a volume of 75 cubic metres. With average insulation it needs about 75 x 30 = 2,250 W, which could be three 850 W panels. Every building is different, so we always recommend a proper heating design.
Running costs
Running costs depend on the building, the hours of use and your electricity tariff. Because infrared panels respond quickly and can be zoned and timed precisely, you avoid paying to heat empty rooms or to pre-heat the building, which is where conventional systems waste most energy.
Installation
Panels are wired to fused connection units and controlled by thermostats, so installation is quick and clean compared with a wet heating system. The work must be carried out by a qualified electrician. Our official installation partner, Standard Electrical Services, can install the system if you need an installer.
Get a free heating design
Send us your office floor plan or room sizes, ceiling heights and ceiling type, and we will design a layout and quote for the panels and controls. Visit our office heating page, request a quote or call 01342 645021.