Picking the Right Wattage for Your Bathroom Infrared Heat
Here is the first thing you need to know: more power isn’t always better. You don’t just buy the biggest lamp on the shelf and hope for the best. If you do, you’re basically just throwing money away and potentially turning your bathroom into a sauna. It’s all about the fit. Getting the power right for your space If you’re dealing with a tiny powder room—you know, those small spaces under 4m²—you don’t need a monster unit. A small lamp, maybe 250W to 400W, does the trick. If you put a 1000W beast in there, you’ll bake the ceiling while your toes are still freezing. But if you’ve got a big master bath or those fancy vaulted ceilings, you’ll need more punch. We usually suggest 600W to 1200W. Why? Because you want that heat to actually reach you before it just disappears into the rafters. Where to put the lamps Here is where people usually mess up. Infrared doesn’t heat the air around you; it heats you. It’s like sunlight hitting your skin on a cold day. Because of that, you have to put the lamps exactly where you’ll be standing. Right over the shower or the vanity. You also have a choice to make. You can go with one big, powerful lamp, or a few smaller ones spread out. The smaller ones give you a much more even glow. The downside? More wiring. More junction boxes. More headaches during the install. The energy trade-off I’ve found that running a high-wattage lamp on a timer works way better than leaving a weak one on all day. You get that immediate “burst” of warmth the second you step in. It feels instant. Just a heads-up though: check your breakers. High wattage means a heavier load on your electrical system. Make sure your wiring can actually handle the peak current, or you’ll be flipping the switch back on in the breaker box every time you take a winter shower.