Herschel Select XLS Infrared Panel Heater

The Select XLS is our best infrared panel because it solves a different problem from the other picks: instead of warming the air (which drafts and high ceilings quickly steal), far-infrared radiates heat directly onto people and objects in line of sight, so you feel warm sooner in rooms that are hard to heat conventionally. It is completely silent, frameless, and mounts on a wall or ceiling to free up floor space, with panel options from 300W up to 1100W to match room size. Herschel builds in a SMART-R receiver, so it can be app- and voice-controlled, but the wireless thermostat needed to run it that way is sold separately, which pushes up the real cost. Against the oil-filled and ceramic picks you lose portability and pay more upfront (indicative pricing starts around £250 and rises with wattage), and the warmth is directional rather than filling the whole room evenly. Choose it as a fixed, unobtrusive heat source for a specific spot — a desk, bathroom or reading corner.