Why you can’t save money by installing infrared heating instead of gas

If there is no gas heating in the house or apartment, or it is, but it’s still far and cold before the start of the heating season, then electric heaters are usually used. These devices are used more often as an additional source of heat, but if the house is equipped with an infrared heating system, then this can be the main source.

Usually, four types of devices are understood as electric heaters:

• Fan heaters;
• Convectors;
• Oil coolers;
• Infrared devices.

The principle of operation of IR heaters

IR emitters do not heat the air, but the objects themselves, according to the principle of sunlight. Then, from heated objects, heat is transferred to the air. Efficiency of such devices reaches 98%, manufacturers claim that, compared with other types of electric heaters, infrared is 30% more efficient. But this is nothing more than a marketing device designed for gullible consumers. The main thing is to arouse interest in a potential client and force them to buy an infrared heater. What the consumer will receive in the course of practical application is no longer important.

Each of the electric heaters has its own principle of operation, as well as its advantages and disadvantages. In the case of an infrared heater, the following advantages are called:

• The device is compact and takes up little space;
• Service life if the device is from a trusted manufacturer;
• Affordable price;
• Does not dry out the air;
• Possibility of quick installation without special knowledge;
• Greater efficiency compared to other electric heaters.

As for the last point, this is a purely theoretical conclusion, based on the fact that by its characteristics An infrared heater is able to heat a room of the same area and consume 2 times less power than similar traditional thermal appliances.

Why save does not work

It would seem that the issue of heating a cold cottage or a country house has been resolved: you can buy an infrared heater and use it for your pleasure. But in practice, everything is not so clear. Those who have already used such devices in the household argue that saving money on heating will not succeed. And that's why:

1. To maintain a comfortable temperature in the room, the heater must work continuously. One has only to turn it off, and after 15 minutes it will again be noticeably cold.
2. The room must have good insulation, otherwise it will not be able to warm up to the desired temperature.
3. To heat even 20 squares of area, you need at least two IR heaters of 1 kW each, while a conventional 2 kW convector can do just that.
4. An infrared device will actually heat the street, as the warm air immediately leaves through the windows and doors, even if they are tightly closed. An infrared emitter can still be installed indoors without windows and doors, but it is not suitable for a residential building.
5. And, most importantly, in severe frost, such a device cannot cope with heating a private cottage on its own. The cost of electricity will be too high, and the efficiency is low - the rooms will still be cold. If possible, it is better to use gas heating, which is about 8 times more profitable than electric.

Thus, all the arguments about saving energy by infrared heaters are just tricks of marketers to advertise and promote a new product. You can install such appliances as additional heating, and only if the electricity is free, and the house is very well insulated and is located somewhere in the south.