Why Is Garage Heating a Good Idea?
Author: Tóth Tamás · 3 min read
In a heated garage it is easier to start in winter, to repair and to tinker. Which heating suits a garage by its location and use – solid fuel, gas, electric heaters and infrared heating compared, with a sizing recommendation.
Garage heating is decided first of all by where the garage is and how much time you spend in it. A garage attached to the house or in the basement is simplest to connect to the heating of the house; a detached garage needs its own heating. Among the electric solutions we recommend infrared heating in a ceiling or wall version: to temper the car we count on 50 watts/m², and for a comfortable garage of 18–20 degrees on 100 watts/m².
Why is it worth heating a garage?
Most car owners take good care of their vehicle: they maintain it, clean it, and try to keep it in the best place the circumstances allow. Whoever has a garage often does not only park in it but also stores things, repairs and tinkers – and that needs a pleasant temperature. The advantages of a heated garage:
- it is more comfortable to store things and tinker in it, and winter repairs are easier to do;
- the engine starts more easily in serious frost;
- a car protected from the cold overwinters in gentler conditions.
If the garage works more as a workshop, it is also worth looking at the workshop heating solutions by use.
Where should the decision start?
Good garage heating is affordable, efficient and safe. The aim is to get the best result at the lowest possible cost. Two questions have to be answered first.
Where is the garage?
- It is part of the house, directly next to it or in the basement: the best solution is usually to connect it to the heating of the house.
- A separate building: it needs its own heating, which can run on several energy sources.
How much time do you spend in it?
Occasional, short stays call for a different solution than regular, longer work. For rare and short use a fan heater may do; for longer stays a convector, radiator, electric boiler or infrared heating is more suitable.
Comparing the options
| Heating method | Advantage | Disadvantage, limit |
|---|---|---|
| Solid fuel: stove or boiler (wood, coal, sawdust) | does not depend on electricity or gas; an economical heat source | a fire hazard, no flammable materials can be stored next to it; needs constant supervision and regular cleaning |
| Gas heating | cheap and practical if a gas pipe is connected to the building | without a pipeline only equipment running on liquefied gas comes into question; fire safety rules must be observed when storing a gas cylinder in the garage |
| Fan-driven electric heater | small size, simple to use; may be enough for rare, short stays | it heats by air movement and stirs up dust |
| Convector, radiator, electric boiler | more suitable for longer stays, no chimney needed | it has to heat the whole air space of the garage |
| Infrared heating (infrared panel, dark radiant heater) | it warms objects, stirs up no dust, safe and durable | the power must be sized to the size of the garage and the use |
Electric heating is reliable, needs no chimney, and the equipment is small. The running cost depends on the power and the operating time, so in a garage it is especially important to heat in a targeted way, not the whole air space. You can read about calculating consumption on our consumption page.
Infrared heating in the garage
An infrared heating system is an effective, reliable and financially favourable solution in a garage too, with a high degree of safety and durability. Infrared heaters here also warm the objects, which then warm the whole space by heat transfer. Because these heating elements cause no air movement, they do not stir up the garage's dust either.
For a garage we recommend ceiling and wall models. Our sizing recommendation:
- to keep the car at an ideal temperature a 50 watt/m² device is enough;
- for a comfortable temperature of 18–20 degrees we recommend a 100 watt/m² installation.
You can read about the possibilities of electric heating built in under a floor covering on our underfloor heating page.
More interesting articles
- Is film heating better?
- Heating with an air conditioner – the pros and cons in one place
- Heating mat – heating mesh installation video
- The history of underfloor heating
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