How to pick the right wattage for your bathroom heater
Nobody likes stepping out of a hot shower into a freezing bathroom. It’s a shock to the system. But here’s the trick: you don’t just want “more power.” You want the right amount of power. Infrared is different because it doesn’t bother heating the air—it warms you and your towels directly. It’s a cozy, immediate kind of heat. But if you get the wattage wrong, you’re either wasting electricity or shivering in a lukewarm room.
Finding your sweet spot
It mostly comes down to how much space you’re dealing with. If you have a tiny powder room (under 4 square meters), a400W to 600Wlamp is usually plenty. It keeps things comfortable without turning the room into a sauna. For those mid-sized bathrooms (around 5-10 square meters), you’ll want to look at800W to 1200W. Then you have the big master baths. If you’re over 12 square meters, one small lamp won’t cut it. You’re better off with a high-output2000W arrayor just installing a couple of1000W unitsto spread the warmth around. And a quick word of caution: don’t just buy the biggest heater you can find. If you put too much power in a tiny room, the heat just bounces around and can actually burn out the lamp. On the flip side, if the wattage is too low, the lamp has to work overtime, which wears out the filament way faster.
The “Real World” stuff
Since we’re talking about bathrooms, water is the enemy. That’s why we use sealed quartz glass. It keeps the moisture away from the electrics so you don’t have to worry about a short circuit while you’re brushing your teeth. Also, think about your ceiling height. If you mount a powerful lamp too low, you’ll get a “hot spot”—that annoying feeling where your head is roasting but your toes are still freezing. Mount them higher up and bump up the wattage. That way, the heat actually reaches the floor.
A tip on the wiring
Before you start drilling, check your circuit breaker. Infrared lamps pull a decent amount of power. If you slap three 1200W lamps on a circuit that’s already running a hairdryer or a heated towel rail, you’re probably going to trip the breaker. If you can, run a dedicated line for your heaters. It keeps the power steady, stops the lamps from flickering, and helps them last a lot longer.