Infrared heating is an electrical heating technology that heats things, not the air. You will have seen them it in churches, village halls and garden centres – a glowing red bar in front of a parabolic reflector.
The technology has moved beyond that, and now IR heaters can be flat panels, sometimes disguised as decoration. The technology is certainly being heavily promoted.
Is it right for your businesses though?
Imagine a high roofed workshop or warehouse, where people work at workstations, machines or packing areas. Often they will be heated via high mounted gas fired convection heaters, heating all of the air and everything inside the building. Cheap and easy to install, and favoured by commercial building developers.
Do you need to heat everything in the building though? Do you need to heat the air high above people’s heads? Do you need to heat the stock? Where staff are generally static in such a building, and they’re the only things that need heat, IR heating may be a better option, with lower overall energy consumption. An IR heater will heat the people and things directly in line of sight, so such a heater positioned near such a workstation will ensure that the person is warmed, but not wasting energy heating what does not need heat.
When considering it, it’s worth noting that that IR delivers heat in a different way – it’s very directional. Going back to the church or village hall, the side of your body facing the heater will feel warm, but not the other side, or maybe not one’s feet.
It’s also worth remembering that electricity used at on-peak times is expensive.
IR heating certainly has a place for many businesses, but it won’t be universal. It is on-peak electric heating, so can be expensive. The cost benefit depends upon what the alternative is.
In principle, think about what you are heating and ask does it need to be?