Consent

This site uses third party services that need your consent. Learn more

Skip to content
0800 210 0288 Black Friday Deals Now Live - Save up to 40% Off! Contact us
ARC Thermal
EX
VAT
INC
VAT
Shop now
Login

Article

How to Heat Pick & Pack Areas Properly (Without Heating the Whole Warehouse)

Keeping teams warm, focused and efficient even in the coldest months.

Peak season in a warehouse is tough.

When order volumes spike, pick & pack teams work longer hours, move faster, and operate under more pressure than at any other time of year. Yet the one thing that never seems to keep up with demand is the heating.

Most warehouses are cold, draughty, and difficult to heat evenly. And trying to warm the entire building, especially during the busiest months, isn’t just expensive. It’s usually pointless.

There’s a better way.

The Peak-Season Reality

From November through January, pick & pack teams often work in the coldest indoor conditions of the year.

Fast turnarounds, early starts, open shutter doors, constant movement all of it adds strain. Staff can only grip boxes, scan items, and move efficiently for so long before the cold starts affecting:

concentration
finger mobility
workflow speed
overall comfort and motivation

And January is often the hardest month of all.

After supporting the Christmas rush, teams return to the deepest winter temperatures, exactly when they deserve an easier, warmer environment that supports productivity.

bus and truck station with ambient infrared industrial heating.

Why Heating the Whole Warehouse Doesn’t Work

Warehouses are vast, high-volume spaces with poor insulation and constant air movement.

Traditional heating tries to warm the air which then escapes the moment a shutter or loading bay opens. The result?

Huge energy waste

Rising bills

Warm air drifting into the rafters instead of reaching people

If your goal is keeping workers warm, heating the entire building is the wrong problem to solve.

Targeted Heating: Warm the People, Not the Empty Space

Pick & pack teams don’t need a 50,000 sq ft warehouse kept at 18°C.

They need their workstations warm.

This is where infrared heating becomes the most practical answer.

Infrared heats people and surfaces directly, not the air.

Warmth stays effective even when doors are opening and closing.

Heat is concentrated exactly where staff stand, scan and pack.

You only heat the zones that matter, not the surrounding void of unused space.

It’s targeted, controllable, and dramatically more cost-effective than running the main heating system.

EEZ Medium wave infrared heaters in a packing line in a factory.

Infrared Works Even in Draughty Warehouses

Because infrared doesn’t rely on warming the air, draughts and airflow don’t strip the heat away like they do with convection heaters.

That means:

Workers feel warm much faster

You don’t lose heat every time a pallet truck rolls in

You can create multiple “micro-climates” across the pick floor

Infrared delivers reliable warmth exactly where it’s needed, consistently.

Warmer Staff = Better Performance

Comfort is not a luxury in a warehouse. It’s operational.

When staff are not freezing cold, you get:

Faster pick speeds

Fewer scanning errors

Higher morale and motivation

Less fatigue during long shifts

More consistent output across the day

For peak months, that translates directly into higher throughput and smoother operations.

Pairing Infrared With Solar: A Strong Financial Case

Many warehouses have expansive roof space which are perfect for solar PV.

It’s one of the simplest and most beneficial upgrades a warehouse operator can make.

Pairing solar + infrared provides:

Extremely low running costs

A 6–8 year payback period (typical)

A major step toward sustainability and net-zero goals

Heating that becomes cleaner and cheaper over time

Prepare Your Pick & Pack Areas for Peak-Season Performance

Infrared heating lets you support your staff, boost productivity, and cut winter energy waste all without heating the entire warehouse.

Create a targeted heating plan for your pick & pack area

Related resources

Browse content related to “How to Heat Pick & Pack Areas Properly (Without Heating the Whole Warehouse)”