What is the difference between infrared heater and radiant heater?

Author: Prof. Pete Cartwright Jr.  |  Last update: Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Many people wonder what the difference between radiant and infrared heat is, but both heating sources are from an infrared radiant energy source. The principles of radiant and infrared are similar but the difference really lies in the temperature. The shorter the electromagnetic wave length the higher the heat source.

Which is better, a radiant or an infrared heater?

Infrared heaters are generally more environmentally friendly as they do not use combustion for heat generation, reducing carbon emissions. Radiant heaters, depending on their fuel source, may have a greater environmental impact—for example, if you use a combustion boiler to heat the water used in the system.

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.

Do radiant heaters get hot to touch?

Although radiant heaters do get very hot to the touch, when they heat up infrared light leaves the heater and transfers to the cooler objects around it, like how the sun warms the earth.

Can I leave the radiant heater on all night?

Electric heaters of any type are unsafe to leave running overnight because they carry a significant amount of risk. If a space heater falls over or becomes too hot from running for too long of a period of time, that can lead to a fast-moving fire that occurs while you are asleep and cannot act fast enough.

Ceramic Heater vs Infrared Heater - Which is BETTER for YOU?

Do infrared heaters 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.

What is the safest heater to leave on overnight?

Oil filled radiator space heaters are some of the safest on the market. 1500W is all the juice an outlet will provide (Roughly 5,000 btus).

What are the cons of radiant heaters?

Cons
  • Electric radiant heating can be expensive to operate, depending on local electricity rates.
  • Hydronic systems are expensive to install.
  • Radiant heat is difficult to retrofit and may require major renovations.
  • It requires a longer installation time.
  • Floor heating systems could increase the floor height in a room.

What type of heater puts out the most heat?

What type of heater puts out the most heat? The type of heater that puts out the most heat depends on various factors, but generally, infrared heaters (such as the radiant heaters in this article) are known for emitting a significant amount of heat.

Where is the best place to put a radiant heater?

On outside walls, above the windows.

The convection currents of heated air from the cove heater takes care of most of the heat loss first and then the radiant heat, heats objects in the room much like the sun. All in all, it is best to place the heaters above the windows pointing into the room.

Why are infrared heaters not popular?

In older, draughty homes, infrared panels alone may not be enough to keep rooms warm. Rooms will feel nice and comfortable when they are on, but without good insulation, the room temperature will quickly cool down when the panels are switched off. Infrared heating works best in modern, highly insulated buildings.

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).

What is the main risk of infrared?

Results: Detrimental effects such as thermal burns, photocarcinogenesis, and photoaging have been reported, though evidence suggests that these may be due to the thermal effects produced secondary to IR exposure rather than the isolated effect of IR.

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.

Are ceramic heaters better than infrared 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.

How to tell if a heater is infrared?

How to distinguish real infrared heating panels from other panel heaters
  1. Wattage density. A real infrared heating panel will be around 1000-1200W per square meter of the heater surface. ...
  2. Surface temperature. ...
  3. Insulation level. ...
  4. Thickness.

How much does it cost to run a 1500 watt heater for 24 hours?

Example (you can use an electric heater running cost calculator below for different wattages/kWh prices): If we assume the price of electricity is $0.1319 per kWh, a 1,500-watt electric space heater will cost; $0.20 to run per hour. $4.80 to run per 24 hours (day). $11.20 to run per week (8h/day).

How big a room will a 1500 watt heater heat?

In other words, a 1,500-watt heater will be great for a 250-square-foot room with central heat. If that same room had no other source of heat, you'd need a 2,000-watt heater.

What type of heater is the cheapest to run?

Generally speaking, Halogen heaters are one of the most inexpensive types of electric heater. They average around 1200W in terms of power output and because they provide instant-heat at close quarters, you shouldn't need to leave them on for long periods of time.

What is the downside of radiant heat?

One primary disadvantage is the high installation cost, particularly in retrofitting an existing home. For new construction, radiant floor heating can be incorporated more easily, but for older homes, it requires lifting the floor to install the system, which can be time-consuming and costly.

Do radiant heaters use a lot of electricity?

Electric radiant floor heating systems are generally very efficient and use as much or less energy than other heating systems.

What are the disadvantages of radiant warmers?

The major advantage of the radiant warmer is the easy access it provides to critically-ill infants without disturbing the thermal environment. Its major disadvantage is the increase in insensible water loss produced by the radiant warmer.

Is an infrared heater safe?

Q: Are Infrared Heaters Safe? A: The simple answer to this question is yes. They are 100% safe!

Which heater can I leave on overnight?

Oil heaters

They're often fitted with an automatic shutoff feature which means they'll turn off automatically if you leave the heater unattended. This makes an oil-filled heater relatively safe to leave on at night.

Can I leave my Vornado heater on all night?

Vornado does not recommend unattended and unsupervised use of this heater.

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