This paper presents the optimal design of a heating system using radiant heating elements for application in smart farms. Smart farming, an advanced agricultural technology, is based on artificial intelligence and the internet of things and promotes crop production. Temperature and humidity regulation is critical in smart farms, and thus, a heating system is essential. Radiant heating elements are devices that generate heat using electrical energy. Among other applications, radiant heating elements are used for environmental control and heating in smart farm greenhouses. The performance of these elements is directly related to their electrical energy consumption. Therefore, achieving a balance between efficient electrical energy consumption and maximum heating performance in smart farms is crucial for the optimal design of radiant heating elements. In this study, the size, electrical energy supply, heat generation efficiency, and heating performance of radiant heating elements used in these heating systems were investigated. The effects of the size and electrical energy supply of radiant heating elements on the heating performance were experimentally analyzed. As the radiant heating element size increased, the heat generation efficiency improved, but the electrical energy consumption also increased. In addition, increasing the electrical energy supply improved both the heat generation efficiency and heating performance of the radiant heating elements. Based on these results, a method for determining the optimal size and electrical energy supply of radiant heating elements was proposed, and it reduced the electrical energy consumption while maintaining an appropriate heating performance in smart farms. These research findings are expected to contribute to energy conservation and performance improvement in smart farming.