Size
Wattage
If you want to use your panel heater as the primary source of heat in a room, you will need to choose a wattage which is appropriate for the size of the room. The bigger the room, the more power will be required to keep it warm.
Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules which dictate the wattage required for different room sizes. Competing products with the same wattage may not offer heating for the same size areas: the area offered will depend in large part upon the efficiency of the panel.
This means that the best way to find a heater with enough power to heat your room is to check the panel’s “heats up to” value. Every panel heater on our site is designed for a certain maximum size room area, which is displayed clearly on every product page. All you have to do is ensure your room size is less than the panel’s maximum heating area. You can use the filters on our category pages to easily see the options for your room size.
Please note that we only recommend panel heaters as a primary heating solution in rooms which are used on an occasional basis, such as spare rooms and home offices. This is because panel heaters can be expensive to run if used on a permanent basis. Electric radiators are a much better choice for your primary living spaces because they are much cheaper to run.
If you want to use your panel heaters as a back-up for an existing heating system – for instance, as a reserve heat source if you’re using storage heaters – the choice is yours. If you expect to be running the heaters for long periods of time and need them to heat the entire room, you’ll need to choose a heater with a wattage appropriate for the room size as above. If you’re only expecting to use the panel heaters as a supplementary heat source, a smaller heater should be sufficient.
Physical Size
Don’t forget to consider the physical size of your panel heaters when making your choice. Make sure the dimensions of the products you’ve chosen do not exceed the size of the spaces where they will be installed. It’s always a good idea to double check your measurements when assessing the size of your wall spaces.
It’s also important to take into consideration the depth of your panel heaters, especially if you’re fitting the heaters in a walkway or near a door. Luckily panel heaters are available with very slimline designs, with depths of as little as 5.5cm.