There’s a familiar chill that creeps in as the seasons turn. For me, it concentrates in one specific place: my home office. It’s a converted loft room that, despite insulation, always seems to be a few degrees colder than the rest of the house. For years, my solution was binary and frustrating: either shiver through the morning emails wrapped in a blanket or fire up the entire gas central heating system, sending expensive heat to empty rooms just to make my small workspace comfortable. It felt wasteful, inefficient, and frankly, a bit archaic in an age of smart technology. This is a common dilemma—the quest for targeted, intelligent heat that doesn’t punish your wallet or the planet. Leaving a single cold spot to fester can impact productivity, comfort, and even your mood, while overheating the entire house is a sledgehammer approach to a scalpel problem.
- Electric Infrared Panel Heater: 700 Watt infrared smart panel heater with 14 meter range.
- Low Energy Consumption: Infrared heaters are more energy-efficient than other space heaters as they do not heat up the entire room. Convection heaters heat the air and air circulation can cause a...
What to Consider Before You Buy an Infrared Panel Heater
An Infrared Panel Heater is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for modern, zonal heating. Unlike traditional convection heaters that warm the air, which then circulates (often inefficiently) around a room, infrared technology works like the sun. It emits harmless far-infrared waves that travel unimpeded until they hit an object—a person, a desk, a sofa, a wall—warming it directly. This creates a feeling of pleasant, radiant warmth without creating stuffy, dry air. The main benefits are significant: near-silent operation, lower energy consumption for targeted heating, and a more natural-feeling heat that doesn’t get lost when a door is opened.
The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing the exact problem I had: a specific cold zone within an otherwise warm home. This includes home office workers, renters in poorly heated properties, or anyone looking to add supplementary warmth to a living room sofa area or a chilly bedroom corner without overhauling their main heating system. It’s a strategic tool. However, it might not be suitable for those who need to raise the ambient air temperature of a large, drafty, or poorly insulated space. In those cases, a more powerful convection heater or an oil-filled radiator might be a better, albeit less energy-efficient, choice for whole-room heating.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: Panel heaters are designed to be unobtrusive. The Princess Smart Infrared Panel Heater 700W measures a considerable 120cm by 60cm. This large surface area is excellent for radiating heat evenly, and its slim profile is perfect for wall mounting, where it can blend in like a piece of minimalist art. However, when used freestanding on its included feet, you must ensure you have the floor space to accommodate its width without it becoming a trip hazard.
- Capacity/Performance: Wattage is king, but with infrared, it’s about how that power is used. A 700W output is relatively low, underlining its focus on efficiency. Princess suggests a maximum range of 14 square meters, which we found to be accurate for feeling its effects. Don’t expect it to heat a large open-plan living room; instead, think of it as creating a “comfort bubble” within that space. The key metric is radiant heat, not British Thermal Units (BTUs) that measure air heating.
- Materials & Durability: The heart of this heater is its Carbon Crystal heating element, prized for its stability and even heat distribution. The exterior is a simple, white-coated metal panel. While our unit felt solid, we must acknowledge user reports highlighting potential quality control issues, such as marks appearing on the surface after use or, more concerningly, display failures. Durability is a key concern, so it’s wise to be aware of the warranty and return policies.
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: This is where smart heaters shine. The ability to control the heater via a smartphone app for scheduling and remote activation is a game-changer for convenience and efficiency. However, reliance on an app can be a double-edged sword if the onboard controls are compromised, as some users have found. Long-term care is incredibly simple: the unit is silent, has no moving parts, and just requires an occasional wipe-down to keep it free of dust.
While the Princess Smart Infrared Panel Heater 700W is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:
- 5-35℃ adjustable heat, 1200W power: Set this room heater to temperature of your choice. Customised comfort - great for year-round use.
- AWARD WINNING QUALITY: Proudly approved by the Good Housekeeping Institute 2025, ensuring trusted performance and reliability.
- SIMPLE INSTALLATION: Installation of your 1kW MYLEK Slimline Electric Panel Heater couldn't be easier thanks to its specially designed wall bracket which can be used as a simple wall template for...
First Impressions: Unboxing and Setting Up the Princess Smart Infrared Panel Heater 700W
The heater arrived in a large, flat-pack box. Inside, the unit was securely packed with polystyrene protectors. Our first impression upon lifting it out was its surprising combination of size and manageable weight. At 6.3 kilograms, it’s not feather-light, but it’s certainly something one person can handle with relative ease. The design is starkly minimalist—a clean, white, featureless rectangle. There are no grilles, no fans, and no complex dials, which immediately speaks to its silent, radiant heating method. The small digital display and touch-sensitive buttons are subtle and located discreetly on the side.
The box contains everything you need for both installation methods. For freestanding use, two simple plastic feet slide and click into place at the bottom, a process that took less than a minute. For a more permanent and space-saving solution, a wall-mounting bracket with screws and wall plugs is included. The instructions are clear, and mounting it on a plasterboard wall was straightforward, though we’d recommend using a spirit level and proper wall anchors to ensure a secure fit. Once plugged in, the unit comes to life with a quiet beep, ready to be configured. The overall feel is modern and unobtrusive, designed to blend into a room rather than dominate it. You can see its sleek design and full specifications here.
What We Like
- Excellent smart control via a user-friendly app
- Energy-efficient for targeted zone heating
- Completely silent operation with no fans or moving parts
- Flexible installation: can be wall-mounted or used freestanding
- Sleek, minimalist design blends into modern decor
What We Didn’t Like
- The built-in thermostat is highly inaccurate
- Heat is very directional and doesn’t warm the ambient air
- Reports from users of display failures and quality control issues
In-Depth Performance Analysis: Putting the Princess Heater to the Test
A spec sheet can only tell you so much. To truly understand the Princess Smart Infrared Panel Heater 700W, we had to live with it. We installed it in my chilly loft office, a room measuring approximately 4m x 5m, and used it as our primary heat source during a cold autumn week. We tested its heating performance, wrestled with its smart features, and calculated its real-world running costs to see if it lived up to its promises.
The Infrared Heating Experience: A Different Kind of Warmth
The first thing you notice when you turn on the Princess heater is… nothing. There is no whirring fan, no clicking thermostat, no glowing orange element. It is completely, utterly silent. After a few minutes, you begin to feel a gentle, pervasive warmth, much like the feeling of turning your face to the sun on a cool spring day. It’s a direct, radiant heat that warms you from the inside out, rather than the often stuffy, dry heat produced by convection heaters that blast hot air into a room.
However, this unique heating method is also its most misunderstood feature. During our tests, we found that its effectiveness is entirely dependent on line-of-sight. Sitting at my desk about 1.5 meters away, I felt perfectly warm and comfortable. The infrared energy warmed my clothes, my skin, and my wooden desk, which in turn radiated a little warmth back. But if I swiveled my chair around, my back would quickly feel cool. This confirms the experience of one user who colourfully described feeling like a “half cooked chicken, warm at the front cold on the sides and back.” This isn’t a design flaw; it is the fundamental nature of infrared heating. It is designed to create a “zone of comfort,” and it does so brilliantly. Just don’t expect it to raise the overall temperature of the entire room by 5 degrees. It heats objects, not air.
Smart Controls: The App, The App, and The Thermostat Problem
The true standout feature of the Princess Smart Infrared Panel Heater 700W is its connectivity. Setting it up with the ‘Princess Home’ app was reasonably straightforward. As is common with many smart home devices, it requires a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network, so we had to temporarily disable the 5GHz band on our router to get it to connect—a minor hurdle that some users might find tricky but is a standard step for IoT devices. Once connected, the app is a joy to use. It’s clean, intuitive, and offers full control from anywhere.
The ability to set schedules was a revelation for my home office routine. I programmed it to turn on 20 minutes before I started work, meaning I walked into a pre-warmed comfort zone every morning. This is precisely the kind of smart efficiency that justifies its existence, allowing you to heat a space only when it’s needed. We also linked it to Google Assistant, and voice commands like “Hey Google, set the office heater to 22 degrees” worked flawlessly.
Unfortunately, this excellent smart integration is let down by a significant hardware flaw: the built-in thermostat. We quickly discovered, confirming numerous user reports, that its placement on the unit renders it almost useless. As the panel itself gets very hot to the touch (a key safety consideration if you have children or pets), this heat completely fools the sensor. The heater would register the room as being 25°C when an independent thermostat across the room read a chilly 18°C. This causes the heater to shut off far too early, failing to maintain the desired comfort level. Our workaround was to either set the target temperature to its maximum of 37°C, essentially forcing it to stay on continuously, or to control it manually via the app. A better solution, as another user discovered, is to pair it with an external smart plug that has its own, more accurate temperature probe.
Energy Efficiency and Running Costs: Is It Really Cheaper?
The core promise of a 700-watt infrared heater is energy efficiency. Compared to the 1500W or 2000W beasts of the convection world, its power draw is modest. But does this translate to real savings? The answer is a definitive yes, but only when used correctly. The efficiency of the Princess heater is not in its ability to heat a whole house cheaply—it can’t—but in its ability to stop you from turning on your expensive central heating in the first place.
Let’s do the maths. Based on a typical UK electricity tariff of £0.28 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), running this 700W (0.7kW) heater for one hour costs approximately £0.196, or just under 20 pence. Running it for a full eight-hour workday would cost around £1.57. Compare that to firing up a 24kW gas boiler for even a short period, which can cost significantly more just to get the system up to temperature and heat the water in all the radiators. By using the Princess heater to warm just me and my workspace, I was able to leave the central heating off entirely during the day, representing a substantial potential saving over a winter. This targeted approach is precisely why this low-wattage smart heater is such an attractive proposition for an era of high energy prices.
What Other Users Are Saying
Our findings are strongly echoed in the broader community of users. The praise is almost uniformly directed at the heater’s smart capabilities and its effectiveness as a personal, background heat source. Many, like one user with a loft room office, celebrate the “ease of powering it off and on via the mobile app” to pre-warm their space. Others express their love for the “warm and toasty” feeling it provides, confirming our experience of its pleasant radiant heat.
However, the complaints are just as consistent. The inaccurate built-in thermostat is the most common and significant frustration, turning what should be a “set and forget” device into one that requires active management. The directional nature of the heat is another point of contention for those expecting traditional room heating. More concerning are the sporadic but serious reports of hardware failure. Several users have documented the digital display ceasing to work, while in a very alarming case, one user reported the unit “blew up” after a single day. These accounts suggest that while the design concept is excellent, the manufacturing quality control may not be as consistent as one would hope.
How Does the Princess Smart Infrared Panel Heater 700W Compare to Alternatives?
The Princess heater occupies a specific niche, but it’s important to understand how it stacks up against more traditional heating solutions. If you’ve decided infrared isn’t for you, or you need more power, these alternatives are worth considering.
1. Devola DVS1500W 1500W Electric Panel Heater
- GOOD HOUSE KEEPING INSTITUTE APPROVED: Recognized for outstanding performance and efficiency, ensuring reliable and effective heating for your home.
- REDUCE ENERGY COSTS: Thanks to the integral precision thermostat, which is accurate to within half a degree, the electric convector heater will switch on or off automatically to maintain your set...
The Devola DVS1500W is a classic convection panel heater. With more than double the wattage (1500W), it’s far better suited to heating the air of a medium-sized room, rather than just a zone within it. It features an adjustable thermostat and a programmable timer, but it lacks the slick app and voice control of the Princess model. This is a choice for someone who prioritizes raising the ambient temperature of an entire room and prefers a more conventional heating method. It will be less energy-efficient for personal heating but more effective for warming a whole space.
2. Futura 2000W Electric Radiator Heater Setback Timer
- Simple Installation: The Futura white electric heater can be installed on any standard home building wall, it can also be floor standing due to the feet supplied. Power Cable size 1.75m (cable located...
- Energy Saving: The Futura electric heaters for home enables you to set your desired temperature between 5°C to 35°C and with our eco auto open window detection - This is an automatic built in...
Stepping up again in power, the Futura 2000W model is a robust convection heater designed for larger rooms and is even rated as bathroom-safe. It’s a powerful workhorse focused on throwing out significant heat to combat serious cold. While it has a setback timer and thermostat, it’s technologically simpler than the Princess. The trade-off is clear: you get raw heating power and suitability for damp environments at the expense of smart features and the nuanced, gentle warmth of infrared. It’s the go-to for someone who needs to heat a large, cold area quickly.
3. Dimplex ECR20Tie 2kW Portable Oil-Free Electric Heater
- DIMPLEX 2KW ECO LARGE RADIATOR - A compact yet versatile home heater with near silent operation, oil free energy saving technology, electronic 24 hour timer, LCD screen, thermostat and 3 heat settings
- PORTABLE FREE STANDING RAD - Compact oil free eco heater, ideal for heating large rooms such as a lounge, conservatory, kitchen or bedroom; efficiently heats your space whilst using less electricity
The Dimplex ECR20Tie represents a different technology altogether. As an oil-free radiator, it provides a mix of radiant and convection heat. Its key advantage is heat retention; it continues to emit warmth for a while even after being switched off. While portable, its column design is much bulkier than the slim Princess panel. This is the best choice for someone who wants sustained, powerful heat in a room and values the portability to move it easily between spaces, but doesn’t need the space-saving benefits of a wall-mounted panel.
Final Verdict: Should You Buy the Princess Smart Infrared Panel Heater 700W?
After extensive testing, we can confidently say that the Princess Smart Infrared Panel Heater 700W is an excellent, modern, and highly efficient solution for a very specific job. If your goal is to create a silent, comfortable, and intelligently controlled bubble of warmth for one or two people in a specific area—a home office desk, a reading nook, a sofa—it is an outstanding choice. It allows you to stay toasty warm without the immense waste and cost of heating your entire home.
However, it is not a silver bullet for all heating problems. Anyone expecting it to raise the ambient temperature of a large room will be disappointed. Furthermore, the deeply flawed built-in thermostat is a significant drawback that requires a conscious workaround, either by using the app for manual control or by pairing it with an external smart thermostat. The reports of quality issues are also a point to consider. But if you understand its infrared nature and are willing to manage its thermostat quirk, you’re getting a slice of the future of personal heating. For its intended purpose, it’s a brilliant device that can genuinely save you money. If that sounds like the solution you’ve been looking for, you can check the latest price and see more user feedback here.
Last update on 2025-11-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API