INSIGHTS & GUIDES
10 Surprising Ways Infrared Heating Reduces Carbon Emissions
Can infrared heating reduce carbon emissions? It can form part of a lower-carbon heating strategy — but the answer depends on how the system is designed, controlled and powered.
Far infrared heating is electric. Rather than burning gas or another fuel inside the property, infrared panels and heaters use electricity to produce radiant heat that warms people and surrounding surfaces.
The carbon impact therefore depends on several factors, including how much electricity the property uses for heating, where that electricity comes from, the performance of the building and whether heating is being used only where and when it is required.
Below are 10 practical ways infrared heating can support lower-carbon heating, from room-by-room control to integration with solar PV.
Quick Answer
Is Infrared Heating Low Carbon?
Infrared heating should not automatically be described as zero-carbon or lower-carbon in every installation. It is an electric heating technology, so its operational carbon impact is linked to the electricity supplying it and the amount of energy required.
Its potential advantage lies in how radiant heating can be designed and controlled: individual rooms or zones can be heated independently, heating can be matched more closely to occupancy, and the system can operate using grid electricity or electricity generated from renewable sources such as solar PV.
How Infrared Heating Fits into a Lower-Carbon Strategy
Infrared heaters work differently from conventional convection systems. Instead of relying primarily on warming and circulating room air, infrared energy is directed towards people and surrounding surfaces.
You can explore the principle in more detail in our infrared heating guide.
01
Reduce Unnecessary Heating
Design heating around the rooms and zones that actually need warmth.
02
Control Energy Use
Use thermostats and schedules to manage when individual heating zones operate.
03
Use Cleaner Electricity
Electric heating can operate using grid electricity or form part of a system incorporating renewable generation.
01
Target Heating Where It Is Needed
One of the strongest opportunities with infrared heating is the ability to design a system around individual rooms and heating zones.
Rather than treating every part of a property as though it has identical heating requirements, appropriately controlled electric heaters can allow different areas to operate according to how they are actually used.
A living room, home office or commercial working area can therefore have a different heating schedule from an infrequently occupied room.
If this reduces unnecessary heating, it can reduce electricity consumption — and lower energy demand can contribute to reducing operational emissions.
02
Room-by-Room and Zoned Heating Control
Zoning takes targeted heating further.
Infrared heaters can be arranged so that individual rooms or defined heating zones are controlled according to their own requirements.
This means you can avoid maintaining the same temperature everywhere simply because one part of the building is occupied.
The actual arrangement depends on the heaters and controls selected. A thermostat controls its designated room or heating zone; larger buildings can use multiple thermostats or controllers to create multiple independently managed zones.
03
Smart Scheduling Can Reduce Unnecessary Runtime
Heating a room when nobody needs it is unnecessary energy consumption regardless of the heating technology being used.
Appropriate thermostatic controls can allow heating schedules to be matched to the way a building is occupied.
For example, different zones can be programmed around working hours, home routines or periods of occupancy rather than simply operating continuously.
The environmental benefit comes from the energy that is avoided, rather than from the thermostat itself.
04
Infrared Heating Is Compatible with Solar PV
Because infrared heating is electric, it can form part of a property that also generates electricity through solar PV.
Where solar-generated electricity is available at the time heating is required — or where an appropriate wider energy-storage strategy is used — some of the electricity required by the heating system may be supplied from on-site generation rather than being imported from the grid.
The relationship between heating demand, solar generation and any storage system needs to be considered properly rather than assuming solar panels will directly cover the entire heating requirement.
Read more on our infrared heating and solar panels page.
05
No Fossil Fuel Is Burned at the Point of Use
An electric infrared heater does not burn natural gas, oil or LPG inside the property to produce heat.
This can make infrared relevant to properties moving away from an on-site fossil-fuel heating system, as well as buildings that do not have a mains-gas connection.
That does not mean the heating is automatically zero-carbon. Electricity generation itself has an environmental footprint, and the operational carbon impact depends on the electricity supplying the system.
Nevertheless, electrification creates the opportunity for heating to operate using an electricity supply that can include renewable generation.
06
Infrared Heating Can Suit Intermittently Used Spaces
Some buildings do not need every part of the space heated continuously.
Infrared heating can be useful where the objective is to provide radiant warmth to an occupied area or zone rather than treating the whole building as one continuously heated space.
This can be particularly relevant in intermittently occupied environments where heating demand varies throughout the day.
Whether it reduces total energy consumption depends on the building, system design, required temperatures and operating pattern.
07
Infrared Heating Can Work Alongside Better Insulation
Heating technology should not be considered in isolation from the building itself.
Better insulation and reduced unwanted heat loss can lower the amount of heating energy required to maintain comfortable conditions.
That principle applies to infrared just as it does to other heating systems.
Combining an appropriately designed heating system with improvements to the building fabric can therefore be more effective than expecting a change of heater alone to solve excessive energy demand.
08
Correct Sizing Helps Avoid Poor System Design
More heater output is not automatically better.
A heating system should be sized around the actual requirements of the room or building, taking account of factors such as dimensions, property type and heat demand.
This is why we do not recommend choosing an infrared heater from a simplistic fixed square-metre coverage figure.
Use our wattage calculator to estimate the heating requirement for your space before choosing heaters.
09
Large Buildings Can Be Divided into Heating Zones
Large commercial and industrial buildings present a different challenge from domestic rooms.
Warehouses, workshops and similar buildings can contain large volumes of space while only particular working areas are occupied at certain times.
Infrared heating can be designed around those usage patterns so that separate areas are managed as individual heating zones where appropriate.
Our industrial heating page explains how infrared heating can be applied in larger commercial environments.
10
Lower Energy Demand Can Mean Lower Operational Emissions
Ultimately, the strongest route from infrared heating to lower operational emissions is straightforward.
If a properly designed system allows a building to meet its heating requirements while consuming less energy, the emissions associated with that energy demand can also be reduced.
But this should be assessed against the system being replaced and the energy source involved rather than treated as an automatic percentage saving.
Lower energy use can also affect running costs. We explore the financial side separately in our guide to how much infrared heating costs to run in the UK.
Important
Electric does not automatically mean zero-carbon. The carbon impact of an infrared heating system depends on its electricity supply, total energy consumption, system controls, building performance and the heating system being compared or replaced.
A Better Way to Think About It
Don't Ask Only “Is Infrared Heating Green?”
A more useful question is:
“How can I design my heating system so that the building uses energy intelligently and can take advantage of lower-carbon electricity?”
That means looking at the complete heating strategy:
- How much heating output does the building actually need?
- Which rooms or zones need to be heated?
- When are those areas occupied?
- How will thermostats and schedules control them?
- How well does the building retain heat?
- Can some electricity be supplied from renewable generation?
Infrared heating can then be evaluated as one part of that wider energy strategy.
How to Make an Infrared Heating System More Energy Conscious
Size the System Properly
Calculate the heating requirement rather than selecting heaters from a generic room-area estimate.
Create Sensible Heating Zones
Separate areas with different occupancy patterns where appropriate rather than treating the whole property identically.
Use Thermostatic Control
Control each heating zone according to the temperatures and schedules actually required.
Reduce Building Heat Loss
Consider insulation and building-fabric improvements alongside the heating system.
Consider Solar PV
Where appropriate, on-site electricity generation can form part of the property's wider energy strategy.
Heat According to Occupancy
Avoid unnecessarily heating rooms or zones that are not being used.
Infrared Heating & Carbon Emissions FAQs
Does infrared heating produce zero carbon emissions?
Not automatically. Infrared heaters are electric and do not burn fossil fuel at the point of use, but the electricity supplying them has an associated environmental footprint. The result depends on the electricity source and how much energy the heating system consumes.
Can infrared heating be powered by renewable electricity?
Yes. Infrared heaters use electricity, so the electricity supplying them can come from the grid or form part of a property energy system that includes renewable generation such as solar PV.
Does infrared heating always use less energy than gas heating?
That cannot be assumed. Gas and electric heating use different fuels and system designs, and the amount of energy required depends on the property, controls, usage and heating demand. Infrared should be assessed for the particular building rather than from a blanket percentage claim.
Can infrared heating work with solar panels?
Yes. Because infrared heating is electric, electricity generated by a solar PV system can contribute towards the property's electrical demand when available. System sizing, generation times, heating demand and any storage arrangement all need to be considered.
Does zoning reduce carbon emissions?
Zoning can help reduce unnecessary energy consumption where it allows unused areas to be heated less or on different schedules. Any emissions reduction depends on the energy actually avoided and the source of the electricity.
How do I know how much infrared heating my property needs?
Heating requirements vary according to the building and room. Start with our wattage calculator rather than relying on a fixed square-metre coverage figure.
Plan Your System
Considering Electric Infrared Heating?
A lower-energy heating strategy starts with correct sizing and control. Work out the heating requirement first, then choose the appropriate heaters and controls for each area.
- Calculate your heating requirement: Use our wattage calculator.
- Understand the technology: Read our Infrared Heating Guide.
- Explore solar integration: Visit our infrared heating and solar panels page.
- Explore the range: Browse our infrared heating systems.
- Planning a larger project? Speak with our team.
Can Infrared Heating Help Reduce Your Carbon Footprint?
Infrared heating can support a lower-carbon heating strategy, but the technology alone does not guarantee lower emissions.
Its strengths lie in the flexibility of electric heating: targeted radiant warmth, room-by-room or zoned control, programmable operation and compatibility with an electricity supply that can incorporate renewable generation.
Combine those features with correct heater sizing, sensible temperature control and a building that retains heat effectively, and infrared heating can become part of a broader strategy to reduce unnecessary energy demand.
If you are considering infrared heating, start with our wattage calculator or speak to our team about the requirements of your property.
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