The main difference between infrared
The ability to effectively heat the desired area by using infrared heaters also means more energy efficiency. This type of focused heating means less heat lost therefore more energy saving. More comfortable temperature levels can be achieved with a lower thermostat setting rather than with a forced-air system.
Infrared heaters are more efficient than regular heaters as they heat objects and people directly, rather than heating the air. They provide heat more quickly and effectively because there is no need to wait for the air to heat up and then circulate.
But don't worry, infrared heaters are incredibly efficient. They're designed to keep a space warm while using as little electricity as possible.
Potential Cons of Infrared Heating
One of the biggest concerns is that this type of heating may not provide enough warmth for homes with high ceilings. This means supplementary heat sources may be required to supplement the infrared heaters, making it less cost-effective than originally anticipated.
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.
To give you the quick answer, the majority of good infrared heating panels are designed with safety and efficiency in mind, allowing them to be left on throughout the day without major safety issues or costing you a small fortune.
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.
As objects in the room absorb infrared heat and emit it back out into the room via convection, the air will gradually warm. A room that's low on insulation and high on draughts though will allow more heat to escape which will quickly cool down any air-warming benefits. However, in the right room it can work nicely.
Electric radiators and infrared panels are among the most efficient forms of electric heating. Ceramic electric radiators deliver an even split of convection and radiation, and infrared panels use radiation as their sole method of heat transfer.
Far infrared energy has the longest wavelength of the infrared spectrum. This allows it to penetrate the body most deeply, affecting soft tissue and the cellular activity of those tissues. This is the type of infrared that is most associated with infrared saunas.
✓ Calculate the room's volume by multiplying its height, width, and length. Multiply this by the recommended watts per cubic metre to determine the ideal infrared heater size for your space. ✓ Be sure to consider the unique characteristics of a room – an awkward layout or lots of windows might require a higher wattage.
That being said—radiant heaters like infrared floor, wall, and ceiling heating systems directly convert electrical energy into heat without affecting air moisture levels. They transfer warmth to boundaries such as floors, walls or ceilings. By doing so, they warm up surfaces in the room instead of the air.
Infrared heaters are very cost effective to run because their long-lasting heat allows them to keep spaces warm using less energy. This is, in fact, key to why their running costs are so low.
The truth is Infrared heaters and radiant heaters are in fact the same. The term “radiant heater” specifies that the heater is generating heat using radiation while the term “infrared heater” indicates the primary type of radiation being used by the heater to transmit that heat.
Cons: Higher initial cost, bulkier design, hot external surfaces, and slower heat-up time.
Sealed combustion heaters are much safer to operate than other types of space heaters, and operate more efficiently because they do not draw in the heated air from the room and exhaust it to the outdoors. They are also less likely to backdraft and adversely affect indoor air quality.
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.
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).
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!
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 ...
Lifespan of infrared panels vs traditional heating
When considering heating options, longevity is a crucial factor. Infrared panels are known for their durability and should last around 20 years, but depending on the quality of the panel, this could be anywhere from 10 to 30 years.