How to pick the right infrared wattage for your bathroom
When you’re shopping for an IP65 infrared heater, your first instinct might be to just grab the one with the biggest number. But here’s the thing: more power doesn’t always mean more comfort. It’s really about finding that sweet spot where the room feels cozy without wasting electricity or creating weird hot spots. Finding your number Think about your space. If you’re just dealing with a tiny powder room—something under 4m²—a 400W to 600W lamp is usually plenty. For those bigger master baths (around 8m² to 12m²), you’ll probably want a few 800W units or one big high-output array. The cool part about infrared is that it doesn’t waste time heating up the air. It travels in a straight line and hits you (and the floor) directly. Because of that, you can actually get away with lower wattage than you would with those old-school convection heaters and still feel just as warm. A word on those waterproof housings Since these are IP65 rated, they’re great for blocking out steam and splashes. But those waterproof shells can trap heat around the base of the lamp. If you put a massive heater in a tiny closet of a bathroom, you might trip the thermal cutoff or, worse, fry your wiring. I always suggest leaving a bit of breathing room—about a 15% buffer—between the heater’s max power and what the room actually needs. It keeps the unit from clicking on and off every two seconds. Saving some cash on the electric bill If you want to be smart with your money, don’t just center the heater in the room. Put the lamps right where you actually stand—like right outside the shower or by the vanity. It’s way more efficient to run a 600W lamp in a 5m² space than to blast a 1200W lamp for half the time. Plus, shortwave infrared is instant. You don’t have to turn it on twenty minutes before you jump in the shower. Just hook it up to a motion sensor or a simple timer so it kills the power the second you walk out the door.