Abstract The paper presents practical aspects of determining the amount of heat flow by measuring the distribution of surface temperature using the Temperature Sensitive Paint (TSP) method. The quantity measured directly with TSP is the intensity of the excited radiation, which is then converted to surface temperature. The article briefly presents three different methods for determining the heat transfer coefficient. Each of these methods is based on a separate set of assumptions and significantly influences the construction of the measuring station. The advantages of each of the presented methods are their individual properties, allowing to improve accuracy, reduce the cost of testing or the possibility of using them in tests of highly complex objects. For each method a mathematical model used to calculate the heat transfer coefficient is presented. For the steady state heat transfer test method that uses a heater of constant and known thermal power, examples of the results of our own research are presented, together with a comparison of the results with available data and a discussion of the accuracy of the results obtained.