Hello everyone,
We are currently considering installing a photovoltaic system on our older building (not fully renovated yet) and possibly using infrared panels as a supplementary heating source. I came across an article that discusses some interesting aspects of using infrared panels in older buildings.
The article explains that infrared panels generate radiant heat, which directly warms walls, furniture, and people rather than primarily warming the air, similar to sunlight. This can offer advantages, such as a quicker feeling of warmth and the ability to control individual rooms. At the same time, it emphasizes that electricity-based systems alone can be expensive, and their efficiency largely depends on the condition of the building and the use of self-generated photovoltaic electricity.
I am therefore interested in your practical experiences:
Do you have a combination of a photovoltaic system and infrared panels in an older building? What are your actual electricity costs or savings through self-consumption?
How did you size your system (for example, kWp of the photovoltaic system, power of the infrared panels) relative to your heating demand?
Does radiant heat work well in daily use in an older building? Is it sufficient as the main heating source or rather as a supplementary/partial heating for individual rooms?
Do you use storage or intelligent energy management to make good use of photovoltaic surplus? If yes — how do you implement this technically?
What incentives or practical challenges did you encounter (grid feed-in, permits, costs)?
The article mentions that infrared panels are not automatically efficient if insulation or physical conditions are not suitable. This makes me curious about how this works specifically in your day-to-day experience with older buildings.
Thank you for sharing your experiences!
We are currently considering installing a photovoltaic system on our older building (not fully renovated yet) and possibly using infrared panels as a supplementary heating source. I came across an article that discusses some interesting aspects of using infrared panels in older buildings.
The article explains that infrared panels generate radiant heat, which directly warms walls, furniture, and people rather than primarily warming the air, similar to sunlight. This can offer advantages, such as a quicker feeling of warmth and the ability to control individual rooms. At the same time, it emphasizes that electricity-based systems alone can be expensive, and their efficiency largely depends on the condition of the building and the use of self-generated photovoltaic electricity.
I am therefore interested in your practical experiences:
Do you have a combination of a photovoltaic system and infrared panels in an older building? What are your actual electricity costs or savings through self-consumption?
How did you size your system (for example, kWp of the photovoltaic system, power of the infrared panels) relative to your heating demand?
Does radiant heat work well in daily use in an older building? Is it sufficient as the main heating source or rather as a supplementary/partial heating for individual rooms?
Do you use storage or intelligent energy management to make good use of photovoltaic surplus? If yes — how do you implement this technically?
What incentives or practical challenges did you encounter (grid feed-in, permits, costs)?
The article mentions that infrared panels are not automatically efficient if insulation or physical conditions are not suitable. This makes me curious about how this works specifically in your day-to-day experience with older buildings.
Thank you for sharing your experiences!
N
nordanney3 Feb 2026 12:10Edi schrieb:
Do you have a combination of photovoltaic panels and infrared panels in an older building? No, but I have experience with photovoltaics and heat pumps – both rely on electricity. Winter? Problematic, no sun. So no electricity for the heat pump, charging station, or the house. But there is the corresponding heating demand.
Topic settled, as both need to be considered separately.
Edi schrieb:
Infrared panels as a supplementary heating option Question: Why a supplementary heating system? Doesn’t the current efficient heating system suffice so that a second heating source has to be installed?
Edi schrieb:
The article says that IR panels alone are not automatically efficient, They simply have a poor efficiency. Like storage heaters or fan heaters.
Edi schrieb:
That makes me curious about how it works for you specifically in everyday life in an older building. Sensibly, not at all or only for special situations, for example, a bathroom or a hobby room in the basement. Otherwise, the concept is pointless in older buildings (and only somewhat reasonable in new builds).
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