How to pick the right wattage for your bathroom heater
Here is the thing about infrared heaters: bigger isn’t always better. You don’t just want the most powerful lamp on the shelf. You want a heater that actually fits the size of your room. If you slap a 600W lamp into a tiny powder room, you’re just wasting electricity and turning the place into a sauna. But if you try to use a 200W unit in a big master bath? You’ll be standing there shivering because the heat disappears before it even reaches you. Matching the power to your space For those small bathrooms—we’re talking under 4 square meters—a 200W to 300W shortwave lamp is usually the sweet spot. These don’t bother trying to heat up all the air in the room; they just beam the warmth straight onto you. It feels instant. Once you move up to a larger space, maybe 6-10 square meters, you’ll want to jump to 400W or 600W. You’ll notice it warms up much faster. Just a heads-up, though: higher wattage means more pull on your electrics. Make sure your wiring and breakers can handle it so you aren’t tripping the power every time you want a warm shower. Dealing with steam and splashes Bathrooms are wet. Steam gets everywhere. That’s why we use quartz glass tubes and tight seals to keep moisture away from the electrical bits. It keeps things safe. We stick with shortwave infrared because it works like sunlight. It doesn’t need to blow hot air around the room. It just hits the target. That’s why you can feel that cozy warmth immediately, even if there’s a draft coming from a window. A few tips on setup More power can actually be a downside if you aren’t careful. A 600W lamp creates a very intense “heat zone.” If you mount it too low, it can feel scorching—almost like you’re standing too close to a campfire. To get that comfortable, steady glow, try to keep the lamp at least 1.8 meters above the floor. It gives the heat room to spread out so you don’t end up with any annoying hot spots.