Commercial Heating Thermostats Guide UK – Controls for Infrared & Electric Heating
Commercial Heating Thermostats Guide UK – Best Controls for Infrared Heaters in Warehouses, Offices, Hotels, Restaurants & Business Spaces
A practical buyer’s guide to choosing the right thermostat, PIR sensor, receiver or multi-zone control system for commercial infrared heating. The best answer depends on whether you are heating a large open warehouse, a partitioned office suite, hotel rooms and corridors, a restaurant interior, a reception area, a shop floor, or a covered outdoor hospitality space. Commercial controls need to match the heater type, layout, electrical load and how the building is actually used.
Commercial heating controls should not be treated as an afterthought. A good heater with the wrong control setup can feel wasteful, awkward to use or simply unsuited to the space. Large open areas often need grouped control and zoning rather than one wall thermostat. Partitioned rooms often need individual room sensing and better day-to-day scheduling. Hotels may need tamper-resistant room control or centrally managed zones. Hospitality spaces may need separate logic for indoor dining and outdoor customer areas. This guide brings those routes together so buyers can choose the strongest control strategy rather than just the most familiar thermostat.
Quick Links
- Why commercial controls matter
- Best commercial control systems at a glance
- Best controls for large open spaces
- Best controls for office suites & partitioned rooms
- Best controls for hotels & public spaces
- Best controls for restaurants & open-air spaces
- Herschel commercial thermostat routes
- Flexel multi-zone thermostat routes
- PIR sensors, scenes & occupancy logic
- Tansun controls for Tansun heaters
- Commercial heaters these controls suit
- Electrical load limits & contactors
- Commercial control comparison table
- FAQ’s
Helpful Related Pages
Simple commercial rule: the best thermostat for a large open warehouse is usually not the same as the best thermostat for a suite of offices, a hotel bedroom corridor layout, or a covered terrace. Large open spaces usually need grouped zones and stronger load planning. Partitioned spaces usually need room-by-room control. Hotels often need easier management and anti-tamper thinking. Hospitality spaces often need separate logic again for indoor and outdoor areas.
Why Commercial Heating Controls Matter
In commercial heating, controls are part of the heating design rather than a finishing touch. A warehouse may only need heat in working bays or loading areas. An office suite may need separate temperatures for meeting rooms, private offices and reception areas. A hotel may want guestrooms to be comfortable without guests overriding settings constantly or leaving heaters running all day with the windows open. A restaurant may need different settings for dining areas, entrances and covered terraces. That is why the best control decision is rarely just “which thermostat looks nicest?” It is usually about how the building is used, how many zones it needs and whether the heaters should be controlled individually, by room or in grouped commercial banks.
Good controls improve comfort, reduce wasted running time and make the system easier for staff to use. They also matter for electrical safety and specification. Some commercial heaters or grouped zones will exceed the direct switching capacity of a standard thermostat. In those cases, a receiver, relay or contactor may be part of the correct answer. A good controls guide should help buyers understand that before installation day turns into a surprise episode of electrical theatre.
The 4 Questions That Usually Decide the Right Commercial Control Strategy
Continuous use, intermittent use, guest use and staff-only use all change the best answer.
One big warehouse zone is different from a hotel with bedrooms, corridors, lounges and reception.
Some systems can switch directly. Others need receivers or contactors once the load gets larger.
Facilities managers, staff, guests and customers do not all need the same kind of control interface.
Best Commercial Control Systems at a Glance
The strongest commercial control route depends on the building type and heater type. This overview table gives the quickest buyer summary before the more detailed sections below.
| Control System | Best For | Control Style | Typical Commercial Use | Key Point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herschel iQ R2 + T2 | Retrofits and partitioned commercial rooms | Wireless receiver plus wireless thermostat | Offices, hotel rooms, restaurants, retrofitted business interiors | No invasive thermostat cabling between heater and room thermostat |
| Herschel iQ MD2 Wired Thermostat | Fixed commercial zones and new-build/refurb installs | Hard-wired thermostat | Warehouses, workshops, kitchens, halls and structured commercial rooms | Strong where durable fixed wall control matters |
| Herschel iQ T-MKS / MKW | Hotels and public-facing interiors | Smart fixed wall thermostat | Hotel bedrooms, lounges, receptions and premium interiors | Useful where a more polished wall control and keypad management matters |
| Flexel V24 / V24WiFi Central Control | Larger partitioned buildings and multi-zone layouts | Central multi-zone wireless control | Office suites, hotels, schools, halls and mixed-zone projects | One central dashboard managing multiple zones |
| Flexel Touch WiFi Thermostat | Single commercial rooms or smaller zones | Smart wall thermostat | Shops, receptions, restaurants, treatment rooms and individual offices | Strong app control with practical everyday scheduling |
| Herschel PIR Sensor + Scenes | Automation-led commercial spaces | Occupancy automation via app scenes | Offices, meeting rooms, dining rooms, waiting areas and lounges | Reduces wasted “empty room” heating time |
| Tansun Wireless Receivers / Time Lag Logic | Tansun heater groups and outdoor commercial zones | Receiver plus remote or timed switching | Covered hospitality, smoking areas, terraces and grouped Tansun heater banks | Best treated as brand-matched control for Tansun heaters |
Best Controls for Large Open Spaces Like Warehouses, Workshops & Industrial Areas
Large open commercial spaces do not usually behave like domestic rooms. In a warehouse, factory or workshop, one thermostat on one wall is often a poor reflection of what is happening across the building. These spaces are better approached as working zones rather than as one giant room. That means control planning should usually focus on heater grouping, zone logic and switching capacity rather than assuming one room thermostat can speak for the whole building.
For large open spaces, the strongest heater routes are usually higher-output commercial heaters or high-level radiant panels. The control route should then match that commercial logic. Below are two strong Herschel heater routes with a thermostat option that suits structured commercial control, followed by two strong Flexel routes with the central V24 control system.
Herschel Route for Large Open Spaces
A strong higher-output route for warehouses, factories and large cold work areas where standard panel heating is not enough.
A strong directional commercial heater for workshops and work zones needing focused infrared output.
A stronger thermostat route for commercial spaces where fixed, hard-wired temperature control is preferred.
Flexel Route for Large Open Spaces
A strong choice for high-ceiling spaces such as warehouses, supermarkets and factory environments.
A strong option where a commercial building uses suspended ceiling grids and structured overhead heating zones.
A strong route for larger commercial layouts where multiple zones need to be managed from one central point.
Large open buildings usually work better when you control occupied working zones rather than trying to make the thermostat represent the whole air volume. That is one of the main reasons grouped commercial heaters, central zone logic and correct electrical load planning matter so much.
Best Controls for Office Suites, Partitioned Rooms & Professional Interiors
A suite of offices, clinic rooms or commercial interiors with separate rooms needs a different strategy from a warehouse. In these spaces, room-by-room comfort matters more and individual rooms often need their own sensing and schedules. The strongest route is usually either a dedicated room thermostat per zone or a central control platform that manages multiple rooms while keeping each space separate.
This is where Flexel V24, Flexel Touch WiFi, Herschel iQ T2 and Herschel smart wall thermostats tend to make the most sense. Buyers usually want a system that staff can understand easily, that provides clear room-level control, and that does not create confusion about which thermostat controls which room.
Best Office Control Logic in 4 Simple Steps
Private offices, meeting rooms and receptions should not normally be forced into one zone.
Ceiling tiles, cassettes and neat wall panels usually suit offices better than heavier industrial heaters.
Smaller layouts may suit room thermostats, while larger suites often suit central multi-zone control.
The best system is the one staff will actually understand and use properly.
A strong office and healthcare route where suspended ceilings and neat room-by-room heating are important.
A useful route where individual rooms need local control but thermostat wiring is inconvenient.
A strong answer where a larger office suite needs central oversight across multiple separate rooms.
Best Controls for Hotels, Guest Rooms, Corridors & Public Spaces
Hotels and serviced accommodation add a different layer to commercial heating control because the user is not usually the building manager. Guests may be unfamiliar with the system, staff need a reliable setup that does not create constant complaints, and rooms often need to return to setback mode automatically when they are vacant. In these spaces, the strongest controls are usually the ones that combine easy room-level comfort with sensible management control.
The Herschel iQ R2 + T2 route is especially useful in retrofitted hotel rooms or partitioned public interiors where hard-wiring a thermostat directly to the heating panel is inconvenient. The Herschel iQ T-MKS / MKW style smart wall controls are a stronger answer where a more polished wall thermostat is preferred in premium interiors, hotel bedrooms or public rooms. For larger buildings with many rooms, the Flexel V24 / V24WiFi route becomes particularly attractive because it gives facilities teams one clearer control structure across multiple zones.
- guest rooms need easy local usability
- facilities teams need predictable zone management
- empty rooms should not be heated as if they are occupied all day
- keypad or settings protection can matter in public-facing spaces
- retrofit-friendly wireless control can be very useful in existing buildings
A very useful commercial receiver for hotels, offices and restaurants where a wired thermostat route is impractical.
Useful for room-by-room temperature control in partitioned commercial layouts, hotel rooms and refurbished interiors.
A stronger fit for hotel bedrooms, receptions and public spaces where design, easier management and more controlled settings matter.
The Herschel iQ R2 route can manage up to multiple zones within a wider commercial ecosystem, but each receiver still has to be matched correctly to the load. If a single heater or grouped commercial heater zone exceeds the receiver’s switching capacity, a correctly sized contactor or alternative control design may be needed.
Best Controls for Restaurants, Hospitality Interiors & Open-Air Commercial Spaces
Restaurants, cafés, bars and hospitality spaces often need a different control strategy again. Indoor dining areas may work well with commercial infrared panels or designer heaters controlled by room thermostats or structured zone controls. Covered terraces, entrances and open-air customer spaces often need grouped directional heaters and more practical switching logic. In these spaces, comfort is not only about heating the whole area. It is about heating the places people actually sit, walk through or queue in.
For hospitality spaces, the strongest approach is often to split indoor and outdoor heating into separate zones. Indoor areas may use thermostats or scheduled room controls. Outdoor or semi-sheltered spaces often work better with grouped heater controls, remote switching or carefully planned zones based on where customers actually need warmth.
A strong choice for restaurants, cafés, shopping areas and design-led interiors where appearance and directional warmth both matter.
A strong route for hospitality spaces where larger directional outdoor or semi-covered heating is needed.
A useful route for covered outdoor dining and customer seating zones where direct radiant warmth is needed.
Useful where a hospitality layout needs freestanding flexibility rather than fixed wall or ceiling mounting.
A practical commercial outdoor route where a more directional freestanding heater works better for customer areas.
Useful when grouped Tansun heater zones need remote-led control rather than a standard room thermostat.
- indoor dining zones usually suit thermostatic or scheduled control
- covered terraces often suit grouped heater switching
- PIR or scene logic can help cut empty-zone heating costs
- a short delay before setback is usually better than hard off the moment no movement is detected
- staff override buttons can be very useful at opening, closing and service peaks
Herschel Commercial Thermostat Routes
Herschel controls are often strongest in commercial interiors where buyers want structured wired or wireless room control, smart wall thermostats and a cleaner overall finish. They suit offices, commercial rooms, meeting spaces, ceiling tile heater layouts and many professional interiors where local room comfort matters more than grouped receiver-led switching.
The R2 + T2 route is especially useful in commercial retrofits because it avoids more invasive thermostat cabling between the heater and the control point. It is also worth noting that the R2 receiver can be a very practical answer in offices, hotels and restaurants where fixed wiring routes are awkward, but the load must still be checked carefully on each zone. For higher output commercial heaters, more than one receiver or a correctly specified contactor may be needed.
Useful for commercial retrofits, partitioned rooms and layouts where direct hard-wired thermostat control is impractical.
Useful in retrofit rooms and partitioned spaces where local room control matters and physical thermostat usability is preferred.
A strong choice for fixed commercial zones where hard-wired control is preferred and durability matters.
A more design-led smart control option for premium offices, receptions, hotel rooms and professional spaces.
Flexel Multi-Zone Thermostat Routes
Flexel is particularly strong where a commercial building needs structured zoning across multiple rooms or mixed-use areas. The key system here is the V24 / V24WiFi central control system, which is a strong answer for larger layouts where central oversight matters. For smaller rooms or simpler spaces, Flexel Touch WiFi and touchscreen thermostat routes are also very practical.
The V24 is especially relevant where one manager or facilities team needs a clearer building-wide view rather than a patchwork of unrelated local thermostats. The system communicates with room thermostats and wireless receivers, helping reduce unnecessary wiring complexity and making it easier to expand in stages. That makes it especially useful in hotels, office suites, schools, halls and larger commercial fit-outs.
A strong route for larger offices, clinics, schools, hotels and commercial interiors with multiple zones.
A strong choice for individual rooms, receptions, shops and hospitality interiors.
A useful route where buyers want dependable local scheduling without a full central system.
- one central interface for multiple zones
- clearer management for larger buildings
- scalable zone planning rather than one-off thermostats everywhere
- works well where rooms have different occupancy patterns
- stronger commercial logic for hotels, schools and multi-room interiors
PIR Sensors, Scenes & Occupancy Logic in Commercial Settings
Yes, PIR sensors can be very good in a commercial setting, especially where zones are empty for long periods and you want the heating to react automatically rather than relying on staff to remember every control change. In offices, waiting rooms, meeting rooms, hospitality snug areas and certain public spaces, PIR logic can be one of the quickest ways to cut wasted “empty room” heating time.
For Herschel, the PIR route is the strongest dedicated occupancy automation option because the PIR sensor can work within the Smart Life ecosystem and trigger scenes that adjust heating automatically. For example, a typical setup uses one “welcome” scene that raises the setpoint when motion is detected, and one “energy saver” scene that drops the setpoint to a setback temperature after no motion has been detected for a chosen delay period.
A strong fit where heating should reduce automatically when a commercial room or zone is empty.
Useful for staff override, opening and closing routines, manual boost modes and one-touch zone actions without opening the app.
| Control Logic | Brand | Best Use Case | How It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIR Smart Logic | Herschel | Offices, retail, meeting rooms, enclosed hospitality zones | Presence detection lowers heating when the room is empty and raises it again when someone enters |
| Central Touch Control | Flexel | Hotels, halls, larger buildings and multi-room commercial spaces | One central screen controls multiple zones with structured building-wide management |
| Wired Digital Control | Herschel | Kitchens, halls, workshops, fixed public spaces | Hard-wired wall thermostat for durable permanent control |
| Manual / Dimmer / Timer Logic | Tansun | Outdoor bars, smoking areas, terraces and directional shortwave heating | User-led dimming or timed switching rather than full room thermostat logic |
How Herschel PIR Scenes Work in Real Commercial Use
In practical terms, the PIR sensor is the trigger and the app scenes tell the heater what to do. A common commercial setup uses two main scenes:
- Welcome scene: if motion is detected, set the heating zone to a comfort temperature such as 21°C
- Energy saver scene: if no motion is detected for a chosen time, reduce the setpoint to a setback temperature such as 12°C or 5°C
In restaurants, pubs and lounges, it is often better to drop the zone to a background temperature rather than switching it fully off. That avoids the area feeling icy and helps it recover faster when the next customer arrives.
How to Use a 10-Minute Delay Properly
A short delay before setback is usually essential in commercial spaces. You do not want the heating to drop the moment a diner sits still, a guest walks to reception, or a staff member briefly leaves the room. A 10-minute delay is often a sensible starting point for offices and meeting rooms, while 15 to 30 minutes may make more sense in calmer hospitality zones.
- motion detected = set the zone to comfort temperature
- no motion detected for 10 minutes = reduce the zone to setback temperature
- motion detected again = restore comfort immediately
- add opening-hours logic where needed so cleaners or late movement do not keep the heaters live all night
Where to Mount a Commercial PIR Sensor
PIR placement matters just as much as the settings. A badly placed sensor can either miss real occupancy or trigger repeatedly from the wrong movement. In commercial spaces, that means the heater may stay on when it should not, or worse, switch down while customers or staff are still there.
- mount in a corner where the sensor can see movement across its field of vision
- typically mount around 2.1m to 2.4m high where appropriate
- avoid pointing directly at heaters, big windows or strong sunlight
- keep away from air vents, strong draughts and doors that constantly open
- check for dead zones behind booths, partitions or high-backed seating
- test sensitivity after installation rather than guessing
If you have booths, partitions or snug areas, one PIR may not “see” seated customers properly. It is often better to position the sensor so it covers the actual occupied seating zone rather than the busy corridor next to it.
Tansun Controls for Tansun Heaters
Tansun should be treated here as a good brand-matched control route for Tansun heaters, especially where grouped directional heaters are used in hospitality, covered outdoor areas or commercial zones that suit remote-led switching. It is not the automatic best answer for every building type, but it can be very useful where the project is already using Tansun heaters and grouped zone control makes more sense than a standard room thermostat.
Tansun’s control philosophy is different from Herschel PIR logic or Flexel V24 central management. It is usually more about manual dimming, timed use and grouped heater control for shortwave outdoor or directional commercial heaters. That can be an excellent fit for terraces, smoking areas, entrances and customer zones where you want simple user-led or staff-led control rather than full room temperature automation.
A useful route for grouped Tansun heaters in commercial and hospitality layouts with higher combined loads.
A practical example of the kind of directional heater that can make sense with grouped Tansun-style control logic.
- covered outdoor hospitality spaces
- smoking areas and terraces
- entrances and short-stay customer zones
- outdoor heaters that should not stay on indefinitely
- spaces where 50 / 75 / 100% power stages make more sense than full room temperature logic
Commercial Heaters These Controls Suit
A useful controls guide should also show buyers what the thermostats, PIR sensors and receivers can realistically be paired with. The table below helps move from “which control do I like?” to “which heater-and-control route fits my building?”
| Commercial Heater Type | Strong Control Matches | Why It Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Herschel Vulcan / Power heaters | Herschel iQ MD2 and suitable commercial zone planning | Better suited to structured commercial control and grouped work-zone thinking than casual room-stat logic |
| FLEXEL ECOSUN S+ high output radiant panels | Flexel V24 / V24WiFi with zone-based planning | Strong for high-ceiling commercial spaces where central zoning matters |
| FLEXEL EcoSun C+ ceiling cassettes | Flexel V24, Flexel Touch WiFi or touchscreen thermostats | Good fit for suspended ceiling commercial interiors and room-by-room control |
| Herschel Comfort ceiling tile heaters | Herschel iQ T2, R2 + T2, iQ MD2 and smart wall thermostats where appropriate | Useful for office suites, hotel rooms, commercial rooms and professional interiors |
| Herschel Pulsar / Manhattan hospitality heaters | Suitable zone thermostats, PIR scenes or grouped control depending on layout | Strong where hospitality spaces need directional warmth across customer areas and flexible opening-hours control |
| Hotel room and corridor infrared zones | Herschel R2 + T2, T-MKS / MKW style controls, or Flexel V24 in larger buildings | Useful where room comfort, facilities oversight and guest-friendly control all matter |
| Tansun heater groups | Tansun wireless receivers and remote / timed control | Best treated as a brand-matched grouped zone route rather than a universal thermostat solution |
| Meeting rooms, waiting rooms and lounges | Herschel PIR sensor plus scene logic, or Flexel smart controls with automation | Helps reduce empty-room heating time while keeping occupied spaces comfortable |
Electrical Load Limits, Receivers & Contactors
One of the most important parts of commercial thermostat planning is checking switching capacity properly. A thermostat may be a good control choice for the zone, but if the combined heater load exceeds its rating, the final setup may need a receiver, relay or contactor. That is completely normal in larger commercial projects and should be planned early rather than discovered halfway through installation.
- check the wattage of each heater
- check the combined load in each zone
- match the thermostat or receiver to that load
- use grouped switching where commercial heater banks need it
- have final electrical design and connection completed by a qualified electrician
In simple terms, if a commercial heating zone is large enough, the control strategy often becomes partly an electrical design question as well as a comfort question. For example, a receiver that is ideal for a room-scale heater may not be the right direct switching device for a larger commercial heater or grouped heater bank unless the rest of the circuit design supports it properly.
A control system can be the right logic choice for a project but still need a different electrical switching arrangement behind the scenes. That is why load planning and electrician sign-off matter on commercial jobs.
FAQ’s
What is the best thermostat for a large warehouse?
Large warehouses usually work best with structured commercial zoning and a control setup that suits the heater load and working areas. A single ordinary room thermostat is often too simplistic for a large open industrial space. Higher-output heaters such as Herschel Vulcan or Power, or high-level radiant panel systems such as ECOSUN S+, usually need more deliberate zone planning.
What is the best control system for a suite of offices?
A suite of offices usually benefits from room-by-room thermostats or a central multi-zone system such as Flexel V24 where multiple rooms need coordinated control. Wireless options such as Herschel R2 plus T2 can also work very well in retrofit office spaces where new thermostat wiring would be disruptive.
What is best for hotel rooms and corridors?
Hotel rooms and corridors usually need a mix of room comfort, easy usability and sensible facilities management. Herschel R2 plus T2 is useful in retrofit hotel projects, while T-MKS style controls can be a stronger fit in premium rooms or public spaces. In larger hotels with many zones, Flexel V24 can be attractive for more centralised management.
Is Tansun the best thermostat route for every commercial building?
No. Tansun is a useful control route for Tansun heaters and grouped directional zones, especially in hospitality and commercial outdoor layouts, but it is not automatically the best answer for offices, hotels or every warehouse project. It is best treated as a brand-matched solution for Tansun heater layouts.
What heaters suit Flexel V24 central control?
Flexel V24 is especially useful with multi-zone commercial systems such as ECOSUN S+ high-output radiant panels, EcoSun C+ ceiling cassettes and other commercial electric heating zones that need central oversight. It is strongest where many separate rooms or zones need to be managed from one control structure.
What heaters suit Herschel commercial thermostats?
Herschel commercial thermostats are often a strong fit with ceiling tile heaters, commercial room heating zones, workshops, hotel rooms, lounges and larger structured heater layouts where wired or wireless room control makes sense. The best Herschel route depends on whether you need fixed wired control, retrofit wireless control or smarter wall-mounted control.
Can one thermostat control multiple commercial heaters?
Yes, but only if the combined load stays within the switching capacity of the thermostat or control system. In larger zones, a relay, receiver or contactor may be required. That is common in commercial heating and should be planned from the start.
Is PIR good to use in a commercial setting?
Yes, PIR can be very useful in commercial spaces such as offices, waiting rooms, restaurants, pubs and meeting areas because it can reduce wasted heating in empty zones. It works best when it is set up with sensible delays and correctly positioned sensors rather than harsh instant-off logic.
How should a PIR be set up in a restaurant or pub?
It is usually best to use two scenes: one that restores comfort when motion is detected, and one that reduces the setpoint after a chosen delay such as 10 to 15 minutes of no motion. In hospitality spaces, setting the temperature back to a lower background temperature is often better than turning the heaters fully off.
What is best for restaurants and open-air hospitality spaces?
Restaurants and open-air spaces usually work best when indoor and outdoor heating are treated as separate zones. Designer commercial heaters such as Pulsar, directional outdoor heaters such as Manhattan or California routes, and grouped control for larger customer areas often make the most sense. Outdoor Tansun heater groups may also suit receiver-led control where appropriate.
Do commercial heating controls really affect running costs?
Yes. Good zoning, scheduling and occupancy logic often make a bigger difference than simply choosing a larger or smaller heater. Controls help avoid heating empty areas for longer than necessary and often have a direct impact on comfort complaints as well as energy use.
Where should a commercial PIR sensor be mounted?
PIR sensors are usually most effective when mounted in a corner position where they can detect movement across their field of vision. Avoid pointing them directly at heaters, air vents, constantly opening doors or strong sunlight. In rooms with booths, partitions or dead zones, one sensor may not be enough.
Ready to Compare the Right Commercial Control Route?
Start with the type of space you are heating, then match the thermostat, PIR sensor or receiver strategy to the heater type, layout and total load. That usually leads to a much better commercial heating result than choosing controls as an afterthought. For simpler commercial rooms, a local thermostat may be enough. For hotels, offices and larger layouts, structured multi-zone control often makes more sense. For hospitality and outdoor zones, grouped heater logic and occupancy thinking can be the real difference-maker.