Infrared heater power consumption: running costs per hour, month and year

Infrared heater power consumption is straightforward to calculate. How much electricity does an infrared heater use, and what will it cost you? Here you will find the formula, worked examples for 300 to 900 W heaters covering an hour, a month and a heating season, and a clear answer to whether infrared heaters use a lot of electricity.

Before the heating season, it is worth looking closely at the figures. All examples in this article use Germany’s average household electricity price of 37 cents per kilowatt-hour. You can use the same calculation with the price from your own tariff.

Infrared heater power consumption: how much electricity does it use?

An infrared heater’s rated power tells you how much electricity it uses in an hour at full output. A 450 W infrared heater uses 0.45 kWh in one hour at full power. At 37 euro cents per kWh, that costs around 17 cents per hour.

In practice, the heater rarely runs continuously. A room thermostat switches it off when the set temperature is reached and on again as the room cools. Actual electricity use therefore depends on the room’s heat loss, your chosen temperature and how long you use the heater. In a well-insulated room, it runs at full power for only part of the time.

How to calculate the cost of running your infrared heater

You need three figures: the heater’s power in kilowatts, its full-load hours and your electricity price.

Full-load hours express running time as if the heater had operated continuously at full power. If a 450 W infrared heater is used for eight hours but switched on for only half that time, it has run for four full-load hours. We use that figure in the calculations below.

Infrared heater costs per hour, month and year: examples from 300 to 900 W

The table shows running costs for the four Opranic P5 power ratings. Hourly costs assume the heater runs at full power. Daily, monthly and heating-season costs assume four hours at full power each day.

Assumptions: electricity at €0.37/kWh, four hours at full power per day, 30 days per month, and a 180-day heating season from October to March. Room sizes assume an insulated room with a 2.4 m ceiling.

Power consumption of a 450 W infrared heater

The 450 W model suits small rooms of around 4–6 m², such as a bathroom, hallway or home office. At full power, it uses 0.45 kWh in an hour. With four hours at full power each day, that comes to 1.8 kWh per day, around €20 per month and around €120 over the heating season.

Infrared heater power consumption per square metre

For an insulated room with a 2.4 m ceiling, allow around 100 W of heating power per square metre as a starting point. Older buildings, large areas of glazing, several external walls and higher ceilings may need more. In a larger room, several well-placed heaters distribute warmth more evenly than one large unit.

When infrared heaters provide the main heating throughout a home, electricity use depends on the building’s heating demand. An infrared heater converts almost all the electricity it uses into heat. Each kilowatt-hour of heat the building needs therefore requires approximately one kilowatt-hour of electricity.

Annual infrared heater power consumption by building type

Annual costs based on Germany’s average household electricity price of €0.37/kWh. You can find your building’s heating demand in its Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

In a well-insulated new build, using infrared heaters as the main heating for 100 m² would cost approximately €1,110 to €1,850 a year. Spread across the six-month heating season, that is around €185 to €310 a month. Costs rise substantially in an unrenovated older building, where heating individual rooms with infrared heaters is the more economical approach.

Do infrared heaters use a lot of electricity?

An infrared heater converts approximately 99% of the electricity it uses into heat. That figure describes energy conversion, not a guaranteed saving. Your actual electricity use depends on where and how you use the heater.

A heat pump can deliver several kilowatt-hours of heat from one kilowatt-hour of electricity because it also draws heat from its surroundings. Heating an entire poorly insulated house solely with infrared will therefore cost more than using a heat pump. An infrared heater is more suited to rooms that need heat at particular times:

• a home office used during the day
• a bathroom that needs warmth in the morning and evening
• a guest room, hobby room or loft used occasionally
• a room used before the central heating comes on for the season
• a well-insulated new-build home with low heating demand

In these spaces, you can heat the room when you use it and run the central heating at a lower setting. An infrared heater needs no fuel, chimney or water pipes. It mounts on a wall or ceiling and plugs into a socket.

The way it delivers warmth matters too. Infrared radiation heats people and surfaces directly within its range, so a room may feel comfortable at a slightly lower air temperature. Lowering the room temperature by one degree reduces the electricity needed to heat it.

Five ways to reduce infrared heater power consumption

1. Use a thermostat with a heating schedule

Your room thermostat has the greatest effect on running costs. Choose one with a weekly programme and open-window detection. Your infrared heater will then run when you use the room and switch off while you ventilate it. According to the German Environment Agency, programmable thermostats can save around 10% of energy. Read more in our guide to controlling and automating infrared heating.

2. Choose the right power

An undersized heater may run almost continuously at full power yet take a long time to reach the temperature you want. Use around 100 W per square metre as a starting point, and allow more power for an older building, large windows or high ceilings.

3. Position the heater carefully

Direct the heater towards the area where you spend time, such as your desk or sofa. Avoid pointing it directly at a window, and keep furniture and curtains clear of the unit. For more guidance, see our infrared heater placement tips.

4. Heat rooms as you use them

Heat only the rooms you are using, and keep doors to unheated rooms closed. This room-by-room control is a principal advantage of individual infrared heaters over a central heating system.

5. Check your electricity tariff

The price you pay for electricity directly affects every running-cost calculation. Compare tariffs regularly and ask your supplier whether it offers a tariff for electric heating. Your supplier and network operator can confirm whether it applies to infrared heaters and whether you need a separate meter. If you have solar panels, you can use your own electricity, particularly in the milder months when there are more hours of sunlight.

Opranic P5: metal infrared heater for walls and ceilings

The Opranic P5 is a slim metal infrared heater with a textured steel front and metal housing, designed for living spaces, bathrooms and home offices. A 2 cm layer of insulation and an aluminium reflector at the back direct warmth into the room. The heating elements extend close to the edges, allowing the steel front to radiate heat evenly across its surface.

At just 2.5 cm deep, the P5 mounts on a wall or ceiling without taking up floor space. It has no fan, so it operates silently. An external room thermostat is required and sold separately. With a weekly programme and open-window detection, the thermostat can control heating around the times you use the room.

Power

300, 450, 700 or 900 W

Room size (guideline)

3–12 m²

Depth

2.5 cm

Installation

Wall or ceiling, optional floor stands

Ingress protection

IP44

Temperature control

External room thermostat, sold separately

Certification

TÜV SÜD, CE

Warranty

Five years

View the P5

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