Herschel Select XLS infrared panel heater

The Herschel Select XLS is a range of wall and ceiling mounted infrared panel heaters sold direct by Herschel Infrared, a UK manufacturer and supplier. The range covers five models from 300W to 1100W, with prices from £238¹. Panels are frameless steel, powder-coated, rated IP44, and carry a 5-year warranty that can be extended to 10 years for £59 if bought at the point of sale².

Infrared panels work differently from a boiler and radiator system. They emit radiant heat that warms people and surfaces directly rather than heating the air first, which is why Herschel lists warm-up times of around 7 minutes rather than the half hour a wet system takes to bring a house up to temperature². That makes them a room-by-room electric heating option rather than a whole-house replacement for gas, and it shapes everything about how they are controlled, installed and run.

For a household weighing energy independence, the trade is clear. A Select XLS panel removes the gas supply, the boiler and the flue, and runs on electricity alone. It does not remove the grid, the electricity supplier or the meter, and the models with app and voice control add a dependence on home broadband, the SmartLife App and Herschel's own controls ecosystem. The sections below set out what the range includes, what it costs, and where the limits sit.

The Select XLS range: five families, five jobs

The Select XLS name covers more than one product. The core range is the standard panel, five models from 300W to 1100W, wall or ceiling mounted, frameless and available in a number of super-slim finishes with the SMART-R receiver built in¹. The Easy DIY variant is a panel and plug-in thermostat combination, both supplied with a UK plug, described by Herschel as the simplest possible infrared heater install⁶. It comes in four models from 400W to 1100W and is listed with a 10-year warranty³.

The Mirror with Lights is a dual-purpose unit: a mirror that heats, in 400W and 600W sizes, with a sheet steel rear case and the Herschel Easy-Fix mounting system². The LED Front Lit panel adds integrated dimmable lighting with a choice of white tones from 3000 to 6000k, aimed at home offices and rooms where a single fitting can do two jobs⁴. The Portable is an 800W panel supplied with a T-PL plug-in thermostat, feet and a fitted plug, and Herschel states it must be used in landscape position with the feet³.

There is also a Select XLS towel heater in the wider family, with built-in WiFi controls for wireless control through the SmartLife App⁷. Prices across the group run from £238 for the standard range, £319 for the Easy DIY, £378 for the Mirror, £419 for the LED Front Lit, £449 for the towel heater and £479 for the Mirror with Lights and the Portable¹.

Specifications and finishes: frameless steel, IP44 and TÜV certification

The construction is consistent across the range. Panels are frameless, steel powder-coated, and Herschel describes all its ranges as high quality, frameless construction and ultra slimline⁴. The LED Front Lit lists a rear case in sheet steel, a panel colour of white, RAL 9003, and a useful wavelength of 5 to 12 micrometres⁴. The Portable shares the RAL 9003 white finish and the frameless steel surface³.

The IP44 rating appears on the LED, the LED Front Lit and the Mirror with Lights, which is splash protection rather than full water resistance⁴. Certification is where the range carries independent weight: the LED Front Lit and the Portable both hold TÜV GS certification from TÜV SÜD Product Service GmbH, and the LED Front Lit also lists RoHS compliance to IEC62321⁴. Herschel states its infrared panels generally are fully tested by TÜV to GS, CE and international electrical safety standards¹⁰.

One practical difference sits in the plug. The LED Front Lit is listed with no plug, meaning it is intended for a fixed connection rather than a socket, while the Easy DIY and Portable models come with a fitted UK plug⁴. That distinction matters for who can install the panel and whether a spare socket is enough. For the wider picture on how these products sit alongside other electric options, electric radiators and panel heaters covers the alternatives, and infrared heating explains the technology itself.

Controls: SMART-R, thermostats and voice control

Every Select XLS panel carries a SMART-R receiver, and Herschel states plainly that its XLS Controls work specifically with that integrated SMART-R technology⁵. The thermostats are sold separately, and the range includes three wireless options plus wired and battery-powered units¹.

Voice control is a function of the thermostat, not the panel. The Select XLS LED works with Alexa and Google Assistant when paired with the T-MTLED controller, and the Mirror with Lights, the towel heater and the portable model all list voice control through the SmartLife App⁴. The iQ R3 thermostat and the iQ MD2 wired thermostat both work with Alexa and Google Assistant when paired with the SmartLife App, and the iQ T2 wireless thermostat pack does the same¹¹. The T-BTLED battery thermostat is designed to work exclusively with Select XLS LED heaters and can be paired to more than one LED heater, so several heaters in a room run from one control¹⁴.

Pairing is straightforward. Herschel states that multiple heater panels can be paired to a single thermostat using the standard pairing procedure, and advises one controller per room, with each controller able to run one or several panels¹⁵. On wiring, the company notes that Select XLS panels with built-in SMART-R receivers are installed on individual fused spurs, that XLS controllers draw power independently from the panels, and that a single XLS thermostat can be placed in the room¹⁵.

Installation: wall, ceiling or freestanding

The Select XLS range is described as wall or ceiling mounted, with the EASYFIX mounting system allowing simple wall-mounting and plugging into a mains socket by keen DIY-ers¹. Herschel also states the range can be professionally installed on a ceiling using a qualified electrician, and that optional feet are available for freestanding use¹⁵. A case study of a pool house installation describes the fitting as Plug & Play¹⁶.

Ceiling mounting has its own rule. Herschel states that for ceiling mounting panels on a ceiling surface, the Herschel Select XLS White panels should be used⁹. The LED Front Lit goes further and lists wall, ceiling or suspension mount as options⁴.

The Portable is the simplest case: it arrives with a T-PL plug-in thermostat, feet and a fitted plug, and Herschel states it must be used in landscape position with the feet³. It also carries internal safety thermal cut-out sensors³. For a household planning a wider electric heating setup, electrical safety and supply for electric heating sets out the circuit and protection questions that apply to fixed electric heaters.

Warranty: 5 years standard, 10 on Easy DIY

The standard term across the Select XLS range is 5 years¹. The LED Front Lit and the Mirror with Lights both list a 5-year warranty, and the Mirror adds the option of a 5-year extension⁴. The Easy DIY panel is listed with a 10-year warranty, the longest in the family³.

The extension is a paid add-on rather than an automatic upgrade. Herschel states the Select XLS range has the option to purchase an additional Extended Warranty of 5 years, providing the option to extend the standard 5-year warranty to 10 years, and that it must be added within the Add to Cart process at the point of purchase⁴. The Portable page puts the price at £59³.

Registration is not required on a direct purchase. Herschel states there is no need to register the warranty if the heater is bought direct from the company¹⁷. That is a simpler position than the boiler market, where registration through a qualified installer is often what unlocks the longest term, as set out in boiler warranties. The trade-off is that the warranty runs from the maker to the buyer with no installer in the chain, so there is no third party to pursue if a claim is disputed.

Cost and what running an infrared panel means for energy use

There is no published running cost per hour for the Select XLS, and Herschel does not quote one. What the range gives is the rated draw: 300W to 1100W across the five standard models, 400W and 600W for the LED Front Lit, and 800W for the Portable¹. A panel draws its rated output while it is on, so the annual figure depends entirely on how many hours the thermostat calls for heat. Herschel's own worked example is a 600W Comfort panel at six hours a day on a tariff of 25p per kWh, which it puts at 90 pence per day⁵. Independent guidance suggests real-world consumption is well below the panel's rated output, typically around a third to a half of it over an average day, depending on insulation and target temperature⁶.

On the comparison with other electric heaters, the Energy Saving Trust states that a well-controlled infrared system will probably cost less to run than standard electric panel heaters¹⁹. That is a hedged finding, and the qualifier is the control system: infrared panels that run on a thermostat and only heat occupied rooms behave differently from heaters left on across a whole house. Herschel's own position is that infrared suits zoned use, and the company's guidance for self-build and renovation projects leans on that room-by-room approach²⁰.

The dependence question is the same for any electric heater. A Select XLS panel runs on mains electricity, so the household remains on the grid and on a supplier, and the running cost tracks the tariff. Smart plugs and time-of-use scheduling can shift when the panels run, and Smart Energy GB notes that voice control works with compatible assistants such as Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri depending on the product²¹. For the wider cost picture across electric options, electric heating running costs sets out the fuel comparison, and infrared panels vs storage heaters compares the two approaches directly.

Herschel as a maker: UK position and buying direct

Herschel describes itself as the number one UK infrared manufacturer and supplier, distributing heaters globally across Europe, North and Latin America and the Southern hemisphere¹⁷. That is the company's own claim rather than an independent ranking, and it should be read as such. What is verifiable from the product pages is the manufacturing footprint: the Aspect XL is listed as manufactured in the UK, the Halo Mini as UK manufacture with British made steel, and the Comfort panels as built in Herschel's UK Production Facility with British steel and a German heating element²². The Inspire range, by contrast, is listed as made in Germany and described as the longest selling range of infrared heaters on the market²⁵.

Buying is direct from Herschel or through its showroom. The company offers a free no-obligation quote from its team and invites customers to visit its showroom, in person or virtually²⁰. The Select XLS range is listed as made to order, so a lead time applies²⁶. Distribution is not limited to direct sales: the Select Infrared Ceiling Tile Heater is available through national and regional electrical wholesalers, builders merchants including Travis Perkins, and a number of resellers, online dealers and installers¹⁹.

The Select XLS LED Front Lit page showed no customer reviews at the time of writing, so there is little published user feedback on that specific model⁴. For the brand as a whole, Herschel Infrared covers the wider panel and heater range, and heating and energy independence sets out what an all-electric heating setup does and does not change for a household.