Infrared panels for heating

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Infrared panels for heating - any good?

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Aredwood

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#1995081 12-Apr-2018 22:10

raytaylor:
==============================

A standard resistive heater is approx 99.9% efficient

That means for every 1kw of power you put in, about 999 watts of heat comes out.

@raytaylor Where does the last 1 watt of electrical energy go to if it doesn't get converted into heat? Keeping in mind the laws of physics, in that energy cannot be created or destroyed.

Sure, it doesn't sound like much. But multiply that 0.001% by every single electric stove, heater, hot water cylinder, kettle etc in NZ. Suddenly that 0.001% equals a lot of energy supposedly going somewhere other than heat.

raytaylor

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#1995099 12-Apr-2018 23:11

@raytaylor Where does the last 1 watt of electrical energy go to if it doesn't get converted into heat? Keeping in mind the laws of physics, in that energy cannot be created or destroyed.

The 'On' light and/or fan.

:-)

Ray Taylor

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raytaylor

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#1995100 12-Apr-2018 23:22

razor2000nz:

Ive been looking into IR panel heaters as well, but for use in the bedrooms, wondering if they would be good for those kind of rooms, the info on the website says the surface of the panel can reach 100 degrees, so maybe not so good for kids etc

A resistive panel heater would be slightly more efficient and not as hot to touch.

The 'eco' part is the fact its 425 watts and will therefore take 4x longer to heat a room vs a 2000 watt fan heater.

But they work very well if they only need to heat one room.

https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/goldair-eco-panel-heater-with-digital-thermostat/p/317690

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wombus

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#1995238 13-Apr-2018 10:03

wow 370 watts can heat a room 23 square meters and is as small as a paperback book... i found this on the internet so it must be true. hyperlink: https://handyheater.co.nz

MadEngineer

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#1996456 15-Apr-2018 14:14

IR heating is great if you're naked and wet in an otherwise freezing bathroom where you get heat on your skin at the flick of a switch ie - heat lamps commonly found in craptastic airvent-combo light kits.

Also works well for heating fingers in a freezing workshop/shed if mounted from a high ceiling. Also has the side effect of heating up your work bench. Some may not like this.

For anything else they would just seem weird. I'd hate to be either constantly blasted by IR heat or sitting in the cold depending on which part of the room I was sitting in. Money better spent on a heatpump that makes the air warm and not just your skin and random surfaces around the room.

We have an ecopanel in the boy's room to complement the heatpump and this works well.

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jancor

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#2045353 28-Jun-2018 11:55

I don't know about the cost but our local RSA has had the same infrared ones for at least 45 years - never had to be replaced. As soon as they are turned on (they are high on the walls) you instantly feel the warmth. If they were expensive to run you would think they would have thrown them out years ago.

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#2045803 29-Jun-2018 00:45

Yep they are expensive to run but they provide instant heat and are usually suitable for large halls / churches etc where there is a large amount of air to heat in a short amount of time - infrared heats the skin first before the air around the person.

Ray Taylor

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gchiu

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#2054698 12-Jul-2018 06:37

I had ir flat panels mounted on my ceilings about 5 years ago. I like that they're noiseless, and I like the heat shining down on me rather than blowing in my face. However, they must have undersized them as I still need a small convective heater to supplement them as my house is old and poorly insulated.

If I did it again I would buy directly from China bypassing local sellers, and have them with images on them! Our get some that were mirrors as well.

The controllers are finicky since there are 6 time changes I need to program in each day.

jancor

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#2054889 12-Jul-2018 11:18

Do you find they use more power than the cheap electric heaters?

gchiu

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#2054921 12-Jul-2018 11:55

They use as much power as they are rated for, and there's a variety of sizes.

I got mine from Infracomfort http://infracomfort.co.nz/ 4 and 5 years ago.

Did my heating costs drop? I don't know as I wasn't living there before I installed them, but my father was, and he was getting power bills of over $400/month, and mine are not that high even though there's now 3 people living here. But I also installed some insulation in the 30 cm ceiling space ( blown wool ).

jancor

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#2054955 12-Jul-2018 12:33

Thanks, That does help. According to that site I only need 850 watt heater which is lots smaller than the usual electric heater. That would save on power.

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gchiu

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#2054998 12-Jul-2018 13:34

These days I would err on oversizing as you can always turn them down a notch. But you can't increase once they're installed.

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