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Outdoor panel heaters mount on a wall or a ceiling and warm the people sitting under them, so a rooftop bar, a beer garden or an al fresco dining area keeps earning through the cooler months. Nothing stands on the floor, so the seating plan and the service run are not worked around them.
Outdoor panel heaters come in gas or electric, and because they are usually built in when the area is built rather than added later, it pays to order well in advance. Heat the zone you most want open in winter first, so you can start with the areas that need covering now and add more as your business grows.
Working out how many panels an area needs? Request a callback and we will size it with you. Related ranges: outdoor heaters for the full range including gas, outdoor heater accessories for mounts and covers, and portable outdoor heaters for heaters you can move. Outdoor umbrellas and cafe tables finish the space.
These are the top FAQs for Outdoor Panel Heaters
What wattage suits a medium to large dining area?
It depends on airflow and on whether the area is fully enclosed or semi-open. For medium to large dining areas, aim for something between 1,800W and 2,400W. Space them at even intervals so you do not get warm spots and cold spots across the seating.
Radiant or convection?
Radiant panel heaters warm people directly rather than warming the air around them, which is what you want outdoors, in a breeze or in winter. Convection heaters move warm air through a room instead. That works well indoors, but outdoors or in a draughty spot — a zone next to doors that open and close all night — the warm air goes before it reaches anyone.
Wall or ceiling mount?
Heat rises, so in a venue with a high stud you want the panels lower and pointed at the people rather than up in the roof space. Radiant panels on the wall, angled down, give steady warmth at head and shoulder height without being overbearing.
Which features keep the power bill down?
Look for a thermostat you can set across the seasons, an eco mode, zoned control so you only heat the part of the area that is full, and timers that run the heater for a set period and then switch it off. Push buttons let guests turn the heat on at their own table rather than leaving every panel running. Infrared models give strong direct heat for less draw, the same way an infrared barbeque does. Fast heat-up times help too, because the panels are not on through the quiet part of the evening waiting to be needed.
What holds up in a coastal venue?
Salt air is hard on metal, so go for high grade stainless steel. 304 grade stainless steel is the one to ask for. There are also sealed units built specifically for coastal and marine sites, which is what you want if the venue is right on the water.
Who can install them, and what are the rules?
The standards differ a little between gas and electric, but the key point is the same: the electrical work or the gas installation has to be done by someone licensed, to AS/NZS standards. We can arrange installation.
Once they are up, leave the clearance the maker asks for around each panel, and keep furniture and anything with a flame — a charcoal barbeque for interactive dining, for instance — away from the wiring and out of reach of the heat.
It’s also worth planning the purchase early. Panel heaters come in gas or electric, and they’re usually built in at the time of construction rather than added later, so order well in advance to make sure they’re on site when your installer needs them.
Where should they go in an outdoor dining area?
The layout will decide most of it, but as a rule put the panels above the dining tables, along structural beams or against the main walls, so the heat lands evenly and the panels are not the first thing a customer looks at. Windbreaks help as much as the heaters do over winter — a pergola or an umbrella keeps the warmth in and the weather off.
