INFRARED HEATING IN THE BENELUX

The Netherlands, and to a lesser extent Belgium, is a country where central heating using gas-fired boilers has traditionally been the norm. The government is strongly committed to district heating through a neighbourhood-based approach and heat pumps.

In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that these two solutions do not address all the challenges facing heating in the energy transition. Initiatives for district heating often fall at the hurdle of the investment required. And heat pumps are proving not to be technically or economically feasible in all homes. The government has therefore backtracked on the requirement to replace central heating boilers in homes with one of these solutions. Alternatives are being sought, particularly for small homes and flats.

In 2024, Techniek Nederland organised a knowledge event in collaboration with IG Infrarood Benelux. During this event, a number of research findings were presented by Eindhoven University of Technology. The research showed that the use of infrared heating can significantly reduce the required heating capacity for a home. Practical data also revealed that consumption was much lower than theoretically assumed.

Based on these results, a manifesto was signed in which major stakeholders involved in housing and construction in the Netherlands call for the current calculation methods for infrared heating to be adapted, so that it becomes easier to heat homes with low energy demand using an efficient, low-tech solution such as infrared heating.

Discussions on this are currently underway, with results expected in mid-2026.