How to use an 800 W infrared panel heater
Updated: 22 October 2026
The panel is out of the box and you want it warm on the chair tonight. How to use an 800 W infrared panel heater comes down to four checks: the plug and the face are undamaged, the face can see you, something limits the hours it stays on, and you stop if the surface marks or smells wrong. At full output it draws 0.8 kWh an hour. The [800W infrared panel heater comparison](/hub/heating/800w-infrared-panel-heater) holds the model rows. Peter F. used those amazon.co.uk listings and public UK guidance. There was no lab install. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The panel is out of the box and you want it warm on the chair tonight.
The panel is out of the box and you want it warm on the chair tonight. How to use an 800 W infrared panel heater comes down to four checks: the plug and the face are undamaged, the face can see you, something limits the hours it stays on, and you stop if the surface marks or smells wrong. At full output it draws 0.8 kWh an hour. The 800W infrared panel heater comparison holds the model rows. Peter F. used those amazon.co.uk listings and public UK guidance. There was no lab install. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Control | Mount | Face | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Hocosyme Hocosyme thermostat | Remote, about 10 m | Wall kit, 6 kg | Up to about 120 °C | 8.8 | about £129.99 | View offer |
 Hocosyme Hocosyme portable | Not included | Castor wheels | Up to about 120 °C | 5.4 | about £119.99 | View offer | |
 Könighaus Könighaus Smart Dual 800 W | Wi-Fi schedule | Feet or wall, 9 kg | 90 × 90 cm | 7.4 | about £169.90 | View offer |
On this page
Before you switch on
Look at the face, the corners and the cable before you hunt for the fixings. A bend, a crack or a courier mark is a return. Watch the first hour: UK reviews of the P-800 include yellowing and a burn mark after first use. Confirm a BS 1363 UK plug. Regulation 35 of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 expects that plug on equipment supplied for this use. One P-800 review says the panel had a UK plug and a bundled timer had an EU socket. Do not use a travel adaptor. The basic and wheeled Hocosyme models recommend a thermostat and do not describe one in the box. The P-800 says the thermostat is not included. The Hocosyme T-WK-800W includes a remote and timer. The Smart Dual includes Wi-Fi schedules as well as a remote. A bare panel left plugged in is full output until you pull the plug. Revisit the buying guide if the box does not match the control you paid for.
Wall fixing or feet
A fixed desk wants the panel on the wall, aimed at the chair, not at the window and not at the back of the monitor. The basic and thermostat Hocosyme models are about 6 kg and include a wall kit. The Smart Dual is 9 kg with a 90 × 90 cm face, plus feet and wall fixings. If you do not know what is behind the plaster, stop before you drill. The portable Hocosyme lists castor wheels. Keep the cable out of the walkway. Hocosyme bullets claim up to about 120 °C. Do not dry clothes on the face, and do not push a sofa against it. An existing living-room socket is ordinary plug-in use. A new circuit, or work around a bath or shower, is notifiable under Approved Document P unless a competent-person scheme self-certifies.
Thermostat, timer and schedule
On the Hocosyme remote model, use the temperature buttons and the timer. The stated remote range is about 10 m, so stand where you sit when you test it. A plug that only times the socket, and never measures the room, runs the element flat out for the whole slot. On the Smart Dual, use the app schedule for the hours you are actually in the room. A thermostat cuts hours on. It does not change the 800 W draw while the element is heating. The pence for a full hour are on the running cost page. Infrared is felt on skin and furniture in view of the panel before the air warms. A bookcase that blocks the chair leaves you cold even when the face is hot.
Daily use and when to stop
Keep a clear line from the panel to the place you sit. A towel belongs on a rail the listing includes, such as the Smart Dual holder, not draped over the heating face. A 120 °C claim is a burn hazard. Stay in the room the first time you run it. A strong smell, smoke, a brown patch, warping or charring means switch off and unplug. UK P-800 reviews describe those marks. Photograph the face and use amazon.co.uk’s return path. Call an electrician for a new circuit, a socket with no RCD if you are unsure, work around a bath or shower, or a damaged flex. Do not open the casing.
Common questions
Where should I mount an 800 W panel?
High enough to see the chair or the bed, on a wall that can hold about 6 kg, or 9 kg for the Smart Dual, and clear of curtains. Aim across the spot you sit, not into a bookcase. Feet or wheels are for a panel you move within the room. If you cannot tell what the wall is made of, stop before you drill.
Can I plug it into a normal UK socket?
Yes, when the plug is BS 1363 and the socket is an existing one in a living space, not a new circuit and not beside a bath or shower. Do not use a European plug with a travel adaptor. A bundled timer with an EU socket, which one P-800 reviewer reported, should stay in the box unused.
How far should furniture be?
Far enough that nothing touches the face and you still have a clear view of your seat. There is no single clearance in these listings that replaces the manual. A chair back against a panel claimed at about 120 °C is too close. If you cannot sit in the radiant path without moving the sofa, remount the panel rather than blocking it.
Can I use a smart plug instead of a thermostat?
Only if that plug measures temperature or you accept timed full output. A timer that merely powers the socket for two hours delivers 800 W for two hours, about 1.6 kWh, whether the room is already warm or not. The workshop buyer who added a Wi-Fi plug thermostat was adding a sensor, not just a clock. A clock alone is a blunt tool.
When should I call an electrician?
Call one for a new circuit, a consumer-unit change, any work around a bath or shower, a damaged flex, or fixings you cannot identify. Plugging an undamaged UK lead into an existing living-room socket is not that work. If the face marks, smells of burning or arrives bent, stop using it and return it rather than asking an electrician to have a look at a scorched panel.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these five listings were taken from the listing files read on 20 October 2026. Page updated October 2026.
- Ofgem, 1 October–31 December 2026 price cap (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Energy Saving Trust, Infrared heating explained (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- DESNZ infrared heating report (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Approved Document P (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- IET Section 701 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- SELECT bathroom pocket guide (retrieved 20 October 2026)