Why Are Radiant Panels Increasingly Specified for Industrial Heating?
Industrial radiant heating panels are increasingly the preferred choice for warehouses, factories, and large commercial spaces, particularly where buildings are targeting low-carbon heating systems or working towards net zero. Unlike unit heaters, radiant panels heat occupants and surfaces directly through infrared radiation rather than warming the air, making them well-suited to draughty, high-bay environments where heated air would otherwise be quickly lost to ventilation or door openings.
How Do Industrial Radiant Panels Work?
Radiant panels transfer heat through infrared radiation from the panel surface to occupants, floors, machinery, and other surfaces within range. No fan is required, and no air is moved. The heat is felt directly, in the same way that sunlight warms you on a cold day even when the air temperature is low.
This mechanism has practical advantages in industrial buildings:
- Heat is not lost through air movement, ventilation, or frequent door openings
- Comfort is maintained even in large, open spaces with high ceilings
- Silent operation — no fan noise in working environments
- No circulation of dust or airborne particles
What Makes Radiant Panels Well-Suited to Large Industrial Spaces?
In a conventionally air-heated industrial building, warm air rises. In a warehouse with an 8 or 10-metre ceiling, a significant proportion of the energy input ends up at roof level rather than in the occupied zone. Radiant panels address this directly: because the heat transfer is radiative rather than convective, it reaches the space and occupants below rather than accumulating at roof level.
For large-footprint buildings, SPC’s industrial radiant panel range supports pipe runs of up to 70 metres from a single connection point, reducing the number of distribution circuits required and simplifying the overall system design.
Are Industrial Radiant Panels Compatible with Heat Pumps?
This is one of the most important specification questions for industrial buildings with decarbonisation targets, and the answer is yes, with the right design approach.
Heat pumps operate most efficiently at lower flow temperatures, typically in the range of 45 to 60°C. Radiant panels are among the best-suited emitter types for heat pump systems because they rely on surface radiation rather than convective air heating. A radiant panel delivering heat at 50°C flow temperature can still provide meaningful occupant comfort; a unit heater at the same flow temperature will deliver a reduced output compared to its rated performance at 82°C, which is why emitter selection matters when specifying a heat pump system.
For industrial buildings planning a transition to heat pumps, whether now or in the next five to ten years, specifying radiant panels as the primary emitter is the most future-proof approach.
How Do Radiant Panels and Unit Heaters Work Together in Industrial Buildings?
Rather than treating radiant panels and unit heaters as competing options, many well-designed industrial heating systems use both, each in the zone where it performs best.
Radiant panels are typically the right choice for the main floor area, as they provide consistent background warmth, operate silently, perform well in areas with large openings where air temperature fluctuates, and are highly compatible with heat pump systems at low flow temperatures. SPC’s CiRRUS unit heaters, by contrast, excel in zones that require rapid heat-up from cold, such as loading bays, entrance areas, or intermittently used spaces, where their high-output axial fan delivers warmth quickly and with good throw and coverage.
The combination approach is increasingly common in buildings working towards net zero targets: radiant panels covering the main occupied area, supported by CiRRUS unit heaters in specific zones where fast response or localised heating is the priority.
What Should Be Specified Alongside Industrial Radiant Panels?
System design considerations for industrial radiant panel installations include:
- Flow temperature: confirmed at the design stage to ensure compatibility with the heat source
- Panel spacing and coverage: calculated to provide consistent radiant intensity across the occupied zone
- Controls: zone control with black bulb sensors measures resultant temperature, the combined effect of air temperature and radiant temperature, rather than air temperature alone, giving a more accurate picture of actual occupant comfort
- Pipework configuration: counterflow connection for multi-row systems to maximise heat transfer efficiency
For buildings where Embodied Carbon is also being assessed, the CIBSE TM65 methodology provides the industry-standard framework for quantifying the embodied carbon of building services equipment.
SPC, a Leicester-based manufacturer with over 50 years in the HVAC industry, offers the Decarbonisation of Industrial and Commercial Heating Systems CPD, a CIBSE-approved session covering heat pump integration, low-temperature emitter selection, and Embodied Carbon assessment. It is available to architects, mechanical consultants, and contractors.
Frequently Asked Questions
SPC’s industrial radiant panels are designed to run at low water temperatures, making them compatible with heat pump systems. The precise flow temperature required depends on the panel specification and the heating load. SPC can provide selection data for specific project conditions.
Yes. Radiant panels are well-suited to high-bay buildings because the radiant heat transfer mechanism is far less affected by air stratification than convective heating. In a conventionally heated building, warm air rises and much of the energy input is lost to the upper zone before it reaches occupants. With radiant panels, heat is transferred directly to surfaces and occupants in the occupied zone, making them a more efficient choice where ceiling heights are significant.
Yes, and this is one of the scenarios where radiant panels perform particularly well. Because radiant heat warms surfaces and occupants directly rather than heating the air, comfort can be maintained even when large doors are open and air temperature drops. For the loading bay area itself, SPC’s CiRRUS unit heaters can be specified alongside radiant panels to provide rapid heat recovery when doors close.
Radiant panels have no moving parts, which significantly reduces maintenance requirements compared to fan-assisted heating products. Periodic checks on pipework connections and panel mounting are the main service considerations.
Radiant panels support net zero in two ways: they are highly compatible with heat pump systems at the flow temperatures heat pumps can sustain efficiently, and their energy consumption relative to the comfort delivered is lower than convective heating in high-bay spaces. For buildings where Embodied Carbon is also being assessed under TM65, SPC can provide relevant product data.
Talk to SPC About Your Industrial Heating Project
SPC has been manufacturing heating and cooling products for industrial and commercial environments for over 50 years. Whether you are specifying a new warehouse heating system, replacing ageing equipment, or looking to improve efficiency on an existing installation, our technical team can advise on product selection, sizing, and system configuration.
Can Radiant Panels Be Used for Cooling as Well as Heating?
When a UK heatwave hits, and internal building temperatures climb, specifiers and building managers increasingly ask the same question: is there a cooling solution that doesn’t involve noisy fan coil units or bulky air conditioning infrastructure?
SPC’s Thermatile TEN-TWELVE radiant panels can provide exactly that. The same radiant panels that deliver quiet, draught-free radiant heating in winter can also provide radiant cooling in summer, when supplied with chilled water from a heat pump or chiller unit, offering genuine year-round climate control from a single, discreet system.
How Does Radiant Cooling Work?
Radiant cooling operates on the same principle as radiant heating, but in reverse. Where a heated panel surface radiates warmth directly to occupants and surfaces, a cooled panel surface absorbs radiant heat from the room, drawing it away from people and objects without creating any air movement.
The Thermatile TEN-TWELVE achieves this by circulating chilled water through its copper D-tube waterways. The cooled panel surface temperature must be managed carefully to remain above the dew point of the room air to prevent condensation forming on the panel face. In practice, this is managed through chilled water temperature controls and, in humidity-sensitive environments, a supplementary dehumidification system.
The result is a cooling experience that feels significantly more comfortable than conventional air conditioning: no draughts, no noise, and no recirculation of airborne particles.
Why Specify Radiant Cooling for Offices, Schools, and Healthcare Facilities?
Radiant cooling panels are well suited to environments where air quality, noise, and comfort are priorities. For offices, the absence of air movement eliminates the draughts and temperature stratification that standard fan coil units create. For healthcare facilities, where infection control requires minimal air circulation, radiant cooling panels present a compelling case; they do not circulate airborne particles and are easy to clean.
In schools, radiant cooling addresses the well-documented problem of overheating classrooms, particularly in older buildings with poor thermal mass and large south-facing glazing. Unlike portable air conditioning units, which are loud, energy-intensive, and often ineffective in larger spaces, radiant cooling operates silently and integrates with the building’s existing pipework and controls infrastructure.
What Chilled Water Source Is Required?
Radiant cooling panels require a chilled water supply, typically in the range of 14°C to 18°C flow temperature. This can be delivered by several system types:
- A reversible heat pump operating in cooling mode — the most energy-efficient option and the most compatible with low-carbon building strategies
- A dedicated chiller unit — suitable where a heat pump is not in place or where cooling loads are higher than a heat pump can manage
- A district cooling network — where available in urban locations
The key consideration is that the chilled water flow temperature must be set carefully to avoid condensation at the panel surface. SPC’s technical team can advise on appropriate flow temperature ranges and system compatibility at the specification stage.
Are Radiant Cooling Panels Compatible With Heat Pump Systems?
Yes. Reversible air-to-water or ground-source heat pumps that operate in cooling mode are well matched to radiant cooling panels. Heat pumps in cooling mode typically produce chilled water in the range of 7°C to 18°C, and by setting the flow temperature at the upper end of this range (16°C to 18°C), condensation risk at the panel surface is managed effectively while still achieving meaningful cooling output.
This compatibility makes radiant cooling panels one of the more logical choices for buildings already specified with a heat pump for heating, the same unit can drive both the winter heating and summer cooling circuit, reducing plant requirements and simplifying controls.
Year-Round Performance From a Single System
The strongest argument for specifying the Thermatile TEN-TWELVE in a new build or refurbishment project is the ability to serve both heating and cooling from one product. In environments where both seasonal comfort modes are required, offices, healthcare facilities, schools with extended year use, a radiant panel system removes the need for a separate cooling product, saving installation cost, space, and ongoing maintenance complexity.
SPC manufactures the Thermatile TEN-TWELVE at its Leicester facility and has offered a CIBSE-approved CPD on Radiant Heating and Cooling Panels – Fundamentals and Design Guide for architects, mechanical consultants, and contractors looking to understand the specification and design considerations in depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Thermatile TEN-TWELVE panels support both heating and cooling by circulating either hot or chilled water through their copper D-tube waterways. For cooling applications, the chilled water flow temperature is set above the room’s dew point (typically 16°C to 18°C) to prevent condensation at the panel surface. Electric Thermatile panels are heating-only and cannot provide cooling.
Radiant cooling panels typically require a chilled water flow temperature of between 14°C and 18°C. The precise temperature depends on the room’s humidity conditions. Where dehumidification is not present, operating at 16°C or above reduces condensation risk. SPC’s technical team can advise on suitable flow temperatures for a specific project.
Not always, but in spaces with higher humidity (such as sports halls, kitchens, or buildings without mechanical ventilation) a dehumidification system or careful control of chilled water temperature is recommended to keep the panel surface above the dew point. In most standard commercial offices and classrooms with adequate ventilation, condensation risk is manageable through flow temperature control alone.
Yes. A reversible heat pump operating in cooling mode is a common and energy-efficient chilled water source for radiant cooling systems. Setting the heat pump’s chilled water output to the upper end of its cooling range (16°C to 18°C) keeps the panel surface above the dew point while still delivering effective cooling output.
Yes. Radiant cooling panels are well suited to schools, particularly in buildings with overheating problems caused by large glazing areas or poor thermal mass. They operate silently, create no air movement, and do not recirculate airborne particles — advantages that are relevant in occupied classroom environments.
Specify Radiant Cooling for Your Next Project
For specification support on radiant cooling panels, system compatibility advice, or to request product literature and datasheets, contact the SPC team directly.