{"id":8407,"date":"2026-10-30T10:40:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T10:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/?p=8407"},"modified":"2026-10-30T10:41:02","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T10:41:02","slug":"how-radiant-tube-heaters-keep-garden-centres-warm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/how-radiant-tube-heaters-keep-garden-centres-warm\/","title":{"rendered":"How Radiant Tube Heaters Keep Garden Centres Warm"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Garden centres are hard to heat in winter. High ceilings, large glazed areas and doors that open all day let warmth escape almost as fast as it\u2019s produced. Yet staff still need a comfortable place to work, customers expect a welcoming shop, and many plants need steady conditions to stay healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why many garden centres use radiant tube heaters<\/a>. Instead of trying to warm all the air in a building, they send infrared heat straight down to people, floors and surfaces. This guide explains how they work, where they fit best and what to think about before installing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do Radiant Tube Heaters Work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A gas burner heats a steel tube mounted high above the floor. The hot tube gives off infrared energy, and a reflector above it directs that heat downwards. People, floors and fixtures absorb the heat and warm up, then slowly release some of it into the surrounding air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a bit like standing in winter sunshine. You feel warm even though the air around you is cool. Warm air heaters work differently, blowing heated air around the building, which tends to rise and gather under the roof. In a garden centre with a tall ceiling, radiant heat keeps the warmth where people actually are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Are Garden Centres So Hard to Heat?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Garden centres face problems most shops don\u2019t. Large roof spaces mean there\u2019s a huge volume of air to warm. Customer entrances and delivery doors let cold air in throughout the day, and glass roofs and walls lose heat quickly when temperatures drop. On top of that, different parts of the site need different conditions. The tills, the furniture hall and the houseplant section rarely need the same temperature, and the busiest areas change during the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good heating design takes all of this into account before deciding how many heaters you need and where they should go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can Radiant Heating Cut Garden Centre Energy Costs?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It often can, especially in tall buildings with lots of air movement. Because radiant heaters warm surfaces and people directly, you don\u2019t need to keep the whole space at a high air temperature. Less heat is lost each time the doors open, and less warm air sits unused under the roof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zone controls help too. You can keep busy areas such as the checkouts and main aisles warm while turning heaters down in quieter sections. How much you save will depend on your building\u2019s insulation, opening hours, heater efficiency and how well the controls are set up. A proper heating assessment is the only reliable way to estimate the savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Should Radiant Tube Heaters Go?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Placement makes a big difference to performance. A commercial heating engineer will look at ceiling height, floor area, how customers move around and where fixed displays sit before choosing positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shop floors and covered sales areas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Overhead heaters work well above shopping aisles, seasonal displays and checkouts. They\u2019re also useful in covered outdoor areas and near entrances, where warm air would simply blow away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staff work areas and storage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Staff often spend long hours at potting benches, packing counters and click-and-collect points. Targeted radiant heat can make these spots much more comfortable. It can also suit stockrooms where people work in specific zones rather than across the whole building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wherever the heaters go, installers must keep them at the manufacturer\u2019s safe distances from stock, hanging baskets, signage and anything else that could catch fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are Radiant Heaters Safe to Use Near Plants?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

They can be, but plants need more thought than people. Radiant heat can warm exposed leaves unevenly, and sensitive stock may suffer if it sits too close to a heater or under one for too long. Some plants are happy in cooler conditions, while others need carefully controlled air and root temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is usually to separate the two jobs. Radiant heating works well above walkways and tills, while a propagation house or tender plant area may need a dedicated greenhouse heating system with finer temperature control. Your heating engineer and horticultural team should plan this together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does Installation Involve?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Installing radiant heating is more than hanging heaters from the roof. The engineer needs to work out your building\u2019s heat demand, check the gas supply can cope, and plan flues, ventilation, controls and safe mounting points. New gas pipework may also be needed to reach each heater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK Commercial Gas designs, installs and maintains radiant tube heating, along with commercial heating systems and gas pipework, for businesses across the UK. All gas work, commissioning and safety checks must be completed by a Gas Safe registered engineer before the system goes into use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Often Should Radiant Tube Heaters Be Serviced?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once a year is a sensible minimum, although some manufacturers recommend more frequent servicing for heaters that run long hours. A service usually covers the burner and ignition, the tubes and reflectors, gas connections, flues, controls and safety devices, along with a check on how cleanly the heater is burning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regular servicing picks up worn parts before they fail, which matters when a cold snap hits during a busy weekend. Keep your service records, and get any faults repaired promptly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radiant Tube Heaters vs Warm Air Heating<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Neither is the right choice for every site. Radiant tube heaters suit large, high-ceilinged spaces where you want warmth around people and work areas, particularly where doors are often open. Warm air heating can be better where an even air temperature matters most, such as an enclosed glasshouse full of sensitive plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many larger garden centres use both, choosing radiant heat for the shop floor and a different system for growing areas. The best mix depends on your building, how much heat it loses and how each space is used. With the right design, safe installation and regular servicing, radiant tube heaters can keep your customers and staff comfortable all winter without wasting energy heating the roof.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Garden centres are hard to heat in winter. High ceilings, large glazed areas and doors that open all day let warmth escape almost as fast as it\u2019s produced. Yet staff still need a comfortable...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8407"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8409,"href":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8407\/revisions\/8409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenadvice.co.uk\/newsandarticles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}