Indoor infrared heaters

Best indoor infrared heaters

Greetings from the Community Jeanie.

Choice has recent review of heaters (member content) here.

Thanks syncretic, I am looking specifically for infrared heating.

Welcome to the Community @Jeanie

While these do not explicitly answer your question they might be help depending on your use. Many included posts are a bit old but remain relevant.

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All heaters produce infrared energy in various proportions but it may not be in the name. If you mean radiant resistive heaters where you can see the hot radiator this article will give you some more information.

Questions on products promoted as “far infra red” heater panels have come up in several other discussions.

Choice has a comprehensive article on home heating options. The guide includes links to useful guides and product reviews.

There’s no overall advice on IR panel heaters, marketed as alternatives to other home heating options. They can be permanent IE fixed installs or removable in which instance limited to the same 2kW - 2.4kW of other portable electric heaters.

Presently:

I’ve taken another look at some of the consumer questions/feedback and also some of the online marketing claims for IR panels in Australia. The next winter is some time away. Some of the marketing claims sparked my dim memories of thermodynamics.

I was wondering if Choice might like to take another look at the products being promoted locally. They may be a small market. They may provide a niche solution circumstances dependant. I’m left asking if the marketing however stretches the bounds of scientific endeavour into a virtual space where the laws of thermodynamics are broken. In which instance, even for a small market, consumers might be well served with an alternate accounting of the facts. I may not be alone in these thoughts. Infrared heating: don't get excited

@BrendanMays do others or those from the Choice team see an opportunity to look at this further for next years updated guide and reviews? I’m not suggesting a test program. Only a need for an informed and critical assessment of the product marketing claims, and to put the products into proper place/context alongside the alternatives.

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Thanks for the suggestion @mark_m, it’s an interesting topic. If anyone sees any examples of marketing spin related to far infra red heaters, take a screen grab and leave it here in the comments. I’ll also pass on the suggestion to the relevant teams.

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I have seen some really nice wood fires in open fireplaces that use infra red radiation these days. To get full effect in winter stand in front with your back to the fire and after five minutes go and sit down. You will feel it come through your pants and permeate the whole of your body. You have to wonder what people did to keep warm before IR was invented.

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This following claims may test the veracity of everything Choice and others say about the energy conversion efficiency of heat pump systems.

When one looks to other claims far IR heating uses 30-40% less energy than direct electrical heating, which conclusion should one draw?

No thermodynamic laws were harmed during testing and development? :wink:

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So if I have a less powerful heater than they tested, say 1 kw instead of 2 kw will it run at 40% capacity too? What about if it is 500 w? There could be a lot of savings here by using very small heaters.

Radiant heat has a higher rate of transfer per kilowatt than convection so you need less of it.

Less of it to achieve what? For how long? That statement is meaningless without context of the environment and specifying the objective. Is the aim to quickly warm the exposed parts of your nakedness for a short time until you are dry and dressed without warming the whole room or is it to warm the room all day?

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