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Infrared panel vs patio heater

Updated: October 2026

Amazon.co.uk put a white panel for the box room beside a glowing bar for the gazebo. An infrared panel vs patio heater choice is a fork: each one fails the other’s job. They differ in glow, watts, IP mark and what an hour costs. The twelve listings are on the [Steinfeld infrared heater comparison](/hub/heating/steinfeld-infrared-heater). The longer check order is the [infrared heater buying guide](/hub/heating/steinfeld-infrared-heater/sub/steinfeld-infrared-heater-buying-guide). The Products Compared editorial team read the files on 15 October 2026. None of these heaters is a Steinfeld model. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

Amazon.co.uk put a white panel for the box room beside a glowing bar for the gazebo. An infrared panel vs patio heater choice is a fork: each one fails the other’s job.

Our top picks

Warmlite Warmlite WL42013

Best overall

Warmlite Warmlite WL42013
8.8/10about £56.46
View offer
Harrier Harrier 2,000 W patio heater

Preis-Tipp

Harrier Harrier 2,000 W patio heater
8.8/10about £48.99
View offer
Könighaus Könighaus 450 W Smart Dual

Alternative

Könighaus Könighaus 450 W Smart Dual
7.6/10about £99.90
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Same word, two heaters
  2. 2.When the panel is the right one
  3. 3.When the patio heater is the right one
  4. 4.The hourly cost is the watts
  5. 5.The conditional pick

Same word, two heaters

Energy Saving Trust describes home panels as heaters that do not glow and feel less intense, and patio heaters as ones that glow and feel more intense. Infrared Heaters Direct uses the same split: a far-infrared panel indoors, and quartz or halogen outside, because a panel does not offset outdoor cold. The INGRIKT is a third object, a 50 W damp-wall panel at £39.99. Neither family replaces a gas-heated house.

When the panel is the right one

Choose a panel, or the indoor tower, when you are in a small room and the heater can face you. The Könighaus 450 W is £99.90, 3.8 stars from 582 reviews, limited in the comments to a small, well-insulated space or heat on the person. The 800 W is £169.90, and one bullet still says 450 W. The Warmlite WL42013 is the freestanding cousin: 500 W or 1,000 W, £56.46, 4.4 from 1,197 reviews. The base notes sit on the best infrared heater page.
Warmlite Warmlite WL42013

Testsieger

Warmlite Warmlite WL42013
8.8/10about £56.46
View offer

When the patio heater is the right one

Choose a patio heater for a seat outside when an outdoor IP mark appears in the table as well as the title. The Harrier is £48.99, 2,000 W, IPX4, a 1.8 m lead, and 4.4 from 342 reviews. The Pro Breeze is £79.99, 2,000 W, IP65, with 182 cm of lead. SOUTHEATIC listings state IP65. The Devola DVPH2000B bullets say 2,000 W and IP65, and the table says 1,200 W and IP24. Leads of about 1.8 m are on the how to use an infrared heater page.

The hourly cost is the watts

An hour’s electricity is the wattage times the unit rate if the heater runs flat out. Ofgem’s Direct Debit average for 1 October to 31 December 2026 is 26.32 p/kWh in England, Scotland and Wales. That cap does not apply in Northern Ireland. Flat out, 450 W is about 11.8 p an hour and 2,000 W is about 52.6 p. The gap between 450 W and 2,000 W is about 40.8 p an hour.

The conditional pick

For a home office or a bedroom chair, take a non-glowing panel in the 450–800 W band, or the Warmlite tower, and point the face at where you sit. For a covered outdoor seat, take a patio heater whose IP mark agrees between title and table, and check the lead. Swapping them fails both jobs.

Common questions

Will a 450 W panel warm a gazebo?
Könighaus 450 W reviews describe a small, well-insulated indoor space, or heat on the person close by. The Trust’s usual band for home panels is about 350–900 W. At £99.90 and 3.8 stars from 582 reviews, it remains a small-room panel. A January seat under a gazebo needs an outdoor heater with an IP mark you can find in the listing, and a lead that reaches the socket.
Will a 2,000 W bar heat a bedroom cheaply?
Left on full power, it is the dearer hour. At 26.32 p/kWh in England, Scotland and Wales, 2,000 W is about 52.6 p an hour, against about 11.8 p for 450 W. The bar glows and runs hot close up, and several patio leads are only about 1.8 m. Use it for a covered seat outside. Indoors, the panel or the Warmlite matches a chair at a lower load.
What IP rating does the outdoor heater need?
Infrared Heaters Direct points outdoor buyers to at least IPX4. Here the Harrier states IPX4, and the Pro Breeze and SOUTHEATIC bars state IP65. Devola titles say IP65 while a details table says IP24, so you confirm the plate. Heatingpoint suggests short-wave quartz or halogen for an exposed seat, and a lower-glow heater where you already have shelter. Energy Saving Trust is the source for which type glows.
How much more does 2,000 W cost per hour than 450 W?
About 40.8 p an hour if both run flat out, on the Ofgem average of 26.32 p/kWh from 1 October to 31 December 2026 in England, Scotland and Wales. That is 52.6 p at 2,000 W minus 11.8 p at 450 W. Northern Ireland is outside that cap. The 54.83 p daily standing charge is excluded. A thermostat, on a heater that has one, cuts the hour below the flat-out sum.
Can one heater do both if the title says indoor and outdoor?
Only if the IP line, the watts and the manual agree. The DVPH2000B title says indoor and outdoor, 2,000 W and IP65, while the table says 1,200 W, IP24 and indoor. The DVPH2400B title and table also disagree on watts. Read the plate on the unit. A consistent outdoor IP mark supports a covered seat. A non-glowing panel supports a small indoor room. The title alone does not make one box into both.

Related pages

Infrared heater in a bathroom

Steinfeld infrared heaters 2026

Best infrared heater UK: indoor pick, outdoor value

Infrared heater buying guide: job, watts and the IP

How to use an infrared heater: aim, lead, then stop

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. Listings captured 15 October 2026. Page updated October 2026.

  1. Energy Saving Trust: Infrared heating explained (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. Ofgem: energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK: placing energy-related products on the UK market (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Approved Document P (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: use a competent person scheme (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. DESNZ: infrared heating evidence review (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Herschel: bathroom splash protection (retrieved 15 October 2026)