How Does Infrared Work?
How does infrared heating work?
Unlike traditional heating units, the primary function of an infrared heater is to transfer heat to a target by means of infrared radiation. In more traditional heating technologies, the unit first heats the air surrounding the target, and therefore, takes much more energy and time to heat a space or target (Brown et al,. 2017)
Most commonly, Infrared heaters are used in the food industry, and health and medical industries. They are now also, in the last few years, increasing in popularity in domestic home usage.
But what about the cost?
Electric heating has been known to be an expensive way to heat homes… That is what sets infrared apart from the rest!
As mentioned earlier, infrared heaters heat objects in a localized manner. That means they offer an efficient and quick mean of electrical usage. Additionally, they, by way of response, reduce energy usage because they use less energy by heating the target than heating the area around the target.
In one example by Roth et al,. (2007), “infrared heaters used half of the energy of unit heaters in a space heating scenario in a large commercial building”.
Additional advantages of infrared heating over standard heating units include:
- Due to the targeting heating, infrared can be a more cost and energy efficient heating unit
- Infrared heating is instantaneous and needs zero or a small amount of preheating.
- Infrared heaters share the same optical properties as light. Therefore the heat can be focused, diffused, and reflected by reflectors and filters.
When connected with solar, reducing your carbon footprint has never been easier.
Using infrared is a great way to reduce your energy costs, while also taking a step towards a greener future.
If you are interested in infrared, Top1-Systems has many different options from wall panels, to standing units that will help keep your home warm with less costs.
Interested in our research? Read an article here