How Infrared Heating Helped Landlord Hit EPC B (Without Gas)
“Infrared heating ruins EPC ratings.”
That belief still stops many developers, landlords, and designers from considering infrared — especially on larger residential projects.
But in a recent 21-bedroom co-living development in Sunderland, infrared heating was installed without gas and still achieved an EPC B rating.
The outcome challenges one of the most common assumptions in building performance assessments — and highlights a growing gap between how EPCs are modelled and how modern electric heating systems actually perform in real buildings.
In this article, we break down why infrared heating doesn’t inherently harm EPC scores, what went right in this project, and what developers need to understand when SAP calculations meet real-world design.
The Problem: Why Infrared Heating Is Often Marked Down in EPC Calculations
Many SAP and EPC assessments still rely on simplified default assumptions, especially when it comes to electric heating. Infrared systems are often:
- Categorised alongside older direct-electric heaters
- Assessed without recognising advanced control systems
- Penalised when considered without fabric and ventilation context
This leads to a misconception that infrared heating automatically lowers EPC scores.
In reality, EPC performance is never about heating alone.
EPC Ratings Are About the Whole Building — Not Just the Heat Source
A properly conducted SAP assessment looks at the entire energy ecosystem of a building, including:
- Insulation levels (walls, roof, floors)
- Airtightness and ventilation strategy
- Heating controls and zoning
- Hot water demand
- Lighting efficiency
- Actual usable floor area and energy demand per m²
In this Sunderland project, the SAP assessor correctly evaluated all contributing factors, not just the heating technology.
The Sunderland Co-Living Project: 21 Bedrooms, One Integrated Strategy
This was not a small domestic retrofit — it was a large co-living development with 21 bedrooms, shared spaces, and real occupancy patterns.
Key elements included:
1. High-Performance Building Fabric
- Upgraded insulation throughout
- Reduced heat loss across the envelope
- Stable internal temperatures with lower peak demand
2. Intelligent Ventilation
- Controlled airflow to maintain air quality
- Reduced unnecessary heat loss
- Balanced comfort and efficiency in a high-occupancy environment
3. Smart Infrared Heating from iHelios
- Zoned heating per room
- Fast response times — heat only where and when needed
- No distribution losses (no pipework, no stored heat loss)
- Advanced controls aligned with real occupancy patterns
4. Realistic Energy Use per Square Metre
Instead of theoretical over-heating assumptions, the assessment reflected:
- Actual room usage
- Lower background consumption
- Efficient point-of-use heating
The Result: A Strong EPC B Rating — With Infrared Heating Included
When all elements were correctly entered into SAP:
✅ The project achieved a strong EPC B
✅ Infrared heating was fully included, not excluded
✅ The result reflected real performance, not outdated assumptions
This directly challenges the idea that infrared heating is incompatible with good EPC outcomes.
Why Infrared Heating Works Especially Well in Co-Living & HMOs
Large shared properties are often poorly suited to traditional wet systems. Infrared offers clear advantages:
- Individual room control (no overheating empty spaces)
- Lower maintenance and simpler compliance
- No central plant losses
- Ideal for staggered occupancy patterns
- Excellent pairing with good insulation and ventilation
In EPC terms, this translates into lower calculated demand per m², when assessed properly.
The Takeaway: EPCs Don’t Punish Infrared — Bad Assumptions Do
This project proves an important point:
Infrared heating does not lower EPC ratings when the building is designed and assessed correctly.
When insulation, ventilation, controls, and real usage are factored in, infrared can sit comfortably inside EPC B and above — even in large, high-occupancy buildings.
For developers, landlords, and designers, the lesson is clear:
- Don’t assess heating in isolation
- Don’t rely on outdated assumptions
- Design holistically — and let SAP do its job properly
“Infrared heating doesn’t lower EPC scores — incorrect modelling does.”
Infrared heating does not reduce EPC ratings when assessed correctly.
A 21-bedroom co-living development in Sunderland achieved a strong EPC B rating using a whole-building strategy that combined insulation, ventilation, realistic energy demand per m², and iHelios smart infrared heating. This project demonstrates that SAP outcomes depend on integrated design and real usage assumptions — not on heating type in isolation — making infrared heating a viable solution for compliant, high-performance multi-occupancy developments.
Thinking About Infrared Heating for a Multi-Room or Co-Living Project?
At iHelios, we design complete heating strategies, not just heaters — aligned with EPC, SAP, and real-world performance. Speak with us
