As a leading manufacturer of smart infrared heaters, we get asked a lot of questions relating to the technology.
We are always happy to answer questions to help our customers understand the technology. Infrared heating could provide a much more efficient and cost effective way to heat your home.
Here’s the basics.
How does infrared heating work?
It is key to remember that Infrared Heating is very different to Convection Heating.
Convection provides an indirect heat by heating the air. The warm air circulates gradually pushing cold air down and heating the space over a period of time. Infrared heat is a direct heat which heats people and objects directly.
Infrared and Convection heating heat differently and this has an impact on the efficiency of the heating.
Convection heat works by heating air particles. As the particles heat up they become lighter, forcing the heavier and colder particles to the floor.
This forms a circle of hot and cold air. The whole space must be heated from the ceiling down. Often there is a wide temperature gap between the ceiling and the floor. This is very inefficient.
Heat is easily lost with convection heat. For example, if there is a draught, or someone opens a door or window the heat will be lost as the air is sucked out of the room. The heating of the space will have to start again.
Infrared heat, by contrast, is not a fluid (like air) it is a wavelength, similar to that from the sun but without any harmful UV rays.
Infrared heats the objects directly when it touches them. That object will then either absorb heat or reflect it to another object within the space.
Infrared heat works in exactly the same way as our sun does, whilst this sounds very Science Fiction it is perfectly safe. In fact infrared heat is often used to keep premature babies warm in hospitals and astronauts warm in space.
Objects, materials and structure of the space all store infrared heat.
Infrared heat is also far less prone to heat loss from draughts or open windows and doors and is therefore more efficient.
Benefits of Infrared Heating
As well as being an efficient way to heat your home, infrared heaters have added benefits:
1. Infrared heat does not circulate air, therefore it does not circulate the dust and pollen that is part of the air.
2. Infrared heat is used in physiotherapy to help circulation and blood flow.
3. Infrared Heaters reduce moisture content in the air. Therefore, our heaters are fantastic at reducing black spot mould and damp. This is especially useful in bathrooms, conservatories, gyms and kitchens.
Do Infrared Heating Panels Save Money?
In most cases infrared heating panels can save money.
It is important to be realistic and to understand that they might not save money in every situation.
Scientific study has shown infrared heating is around 30% more efficient than convection heating.
A well designed infrared heating system will often be the most efficient way to heat your space. It is important to consider all elements in these cost comparisons, such as maintenance, boiler replacement, standing charges and distributed heat loss.
At Jigsaw Infrared we cater to both domestic and Commercial use. If there are further there are further questions that are not answered here please contact us.
