Can you heat a whole house with infrared?

Author: Jarvis Shanahan  |  Last update: Tuesday, May 6, 2025

With infrared heaters, you can only heat the room you are using. Unlike central gas heating, for example, you need to heat the entire house, even if you use a single room. Infrared heaters can be programmed as per your need.

Can you heat a whole house with infrared panels?

Can you heat a whole house with infrared heaters? You most certainly can. Each panel comes as a standalone unit, but you can buy ceiling-mounted, wall-mounted, or specialist panels to install in all rooms of your home.

Can an infrared heater heat a whole room?

However, in the right room it can work nicely. Let's take an example with ceiling mounted infrared panels. Due to their positioning, ceiling panels emit infrared heat into the whole room. Naturally, heat will be absorbed by the floor.

Why is infrared heating not popular in the USA?

  • The reason is fairly simple...and then also quite complex.
  • The primary reason is that while infrared (radiant) heat is quite effective at warming the human body surface, it doesn't heat everything else at the same rate...
  • In addition, IR radiant heating does a poor job at heating air.

Can an infrared heater be installed in a house?

A great choice for all rooms in your house, ensuring people feel cosy and comfortable from the lovely, non-stuffy feeling of warmth created from radiant heating.

Living with Whole House Infrared Heating in Ireland

Does an infrared heater use a lot of electricity?

But don't worry, infrared heaters are incredibly efficient. They're designed to keep a space warm while using as little electricity as possible.

How many square feet will an infrared heater heat?

During testing, we were not only impressed by how realistic the heater was in replicating the appearance and ambiance of a real firebox but also by how well the heating worked. With 5,200 Btu, it can heat up to 1,000 square feet.

What are the negative effects of infrared heating?

Near IR can be harmful to the eyes because it penetrates as far as the cornea (Voke, 1999). Uncontrolled, frequent, or long-term exposure to Near Infrared can also cause thermal burns and ageing effects such as “Bakers Arms” or “Glassblowers Face” (Cho & others, 2009).

Is it cheaper to run an infrared heater than the furnace?

Infrared heater energy consumption is much less than other forms of heating systems due to their direct method of transferring heat, as outlined earlier. As a result, you can expect your energy bills to be significantly lower over traditional electric or gas heaters.

Are infrared heaters safe to leave on overnight?

The good news is that modern infrared heaters are very safe to use even when left unattended during the night, even while you are sleeping.

Can an infrared heater run continuously?

Infrared panels are suitable for all-day heating.

The gradual build-up of heat ensures a comfortable environment, allowing them to be left on for extended periods without making a room feel stuffy.

Do infrared heaters warm walls?

In contrast, infrared heaters work like the sun, directly warming objects, walls, furniture, and people. This direct heat transfer is far more energy-efficient. Think of it like standing in sunlight: even on a cold day, you feel warm when the sun's rays hit you.

Where is the best place to put an infrared heater?

High up on the wall or ceiling are the best locations for infrared panels.

Can solar panels run infrared heating?

Solar panels generate electricity by converting sunlight into usable energy. This electricity can then power all kinds of appliances in your home or workplace, including your heating system. With a far infrared heating system powered by your solar array, you can heat your home using only the energy produced by the sun.

What is the best heater for a large room?

Based on our research, ceramic and fan heaters are the best type of units for large spaces. More user-friendly than their infrared and oil-filled counterparts, they also heat up quickly, making them more effective than other options.

Do infrared heaters raise your electric bill?

Used in conjunction with your current heating system, stand-alone infrared heaters can reduce your home heating bills by as much as 50 percent because you can turn down the thermostat for the whole house, then supplement as needed with infrared.

How long does it take an infrared heater to heat a room?

How long do infrared panels take to heat up? From cold start, infrared panels take roughly 10 minutes to get to temperature. It's a gradual build-up rather than an instant burst of heat due to its lower frequency, but that's why it's perfect for all-day heating.

Are infrared heaters 100% efficient?

100% efficient at point of use

Infrared heaters get their power directly from the mains, so there are no system losses like you'd find in a fuel-based system. As they convert every watt of energy into radiant warmth, you're never paying for waste.

Why is infrared heating not popular?

We understand why people look at infrared heating—it sounds energy efficient. But in reality, infrared heaters need to stay on longer to maintain warmth, and because they only heat what they directly touch, they often end up using more energy than expected.

What is the main disadvantage to infrared?

IR-A radiation with its excessive heat can cause irreversible damage (such as burns) to the retina and cloud the lens, which can lead to a cataract (also known as glassblower's cataract or infrared cataract). IR-B radiation can damage the blood vessels down to the fatty tissue.

Which is better, an infrared or convection heater?

With the same efficiency, an infrared heater consumes 30% less energy than a convection radiator. The choice is yours, let your apartment, office or country house will always be comfortable and warm!

What size room will a 1500 watt infrared heater heat?

As a rule of thumb it will require about 10 watts for every square foot. So the 1500 watt will usually heat up to 150 square feet. Heating question - trying to understand what size heater to ... I am trying to understand in layman terms what this actually ...

Which is better, infrared or ceramic heaters?

Quartz infrared heaters offer very fast heat-up and cool down times. Ceramic heaters, however, require more time to heat circulating air and warm up the room via convection. Quartz heaters can be used to create quieter heating equipment as in most cases air movement from noisy convection blowers is not needed.

Are infrared heaters safe for pets?

The good news is that not only are infrared panels completely safe, there are more than just a few reasons why it's actually the best type of heat for animals. Let's take a look.

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