How to Compare Radiant Heating Options With Conventional Heaters
How our products compare to conventional heating equipment.
Conventional heating systems such as forced-air furnaces use a fan or blower to force heated air through cold duct work, where it can lose energy from improperly sealed joints. In addition, the heat radiates into walls, crawl spaces, and attics, not allowing all of the warmed air to get to room(s) that you desire to heat. On top of all that, air has very little mass, and requires much more energy, known as BTU’s, in order to achieve a comfortable temperature.
Warm air rises to the ceiling when it reaches a room and often times the floors are cold. This is also true of baseboard heating, wall heaters, fireplaces, and any heating system that uses air as a primary source to transfer heat.
Radiant heat, however, is an energy that can be transferred from a warm object to a cold object, and while using less energy comfort is achieved. If the objects in a room are closer to the temperature of your body, then it takes less energy to be comfortable.
What does this all mean to you? With our heating panels you will never have to clean ductwork, change filters, cut and split wood, order propane, pay for natural gas or service another furnace. Electric rates may vary slightly from year to year, but historically have not experienced the huge spikes that oil and natural gas have recently.
Comparison to Conventional Heating Systems
Heating Green
Infrared Radiant Heating Systems
- Silent operation, a pleasant ambiance day and night
- Emit sun-like warmth to the occupants and objects in the room, even the floors!
- Maintenance-free
- Mount on the ceiling or high on the walls, no usable space is taken up
- Often save %30-40 operating cost compared to conventional heating systems
- ~30-year life-cycle
- Are conducive to a healthy indoor environment
- Silent operation, a pleasant ambiance day and night
Conventional
Heating Systems
- Noisy, which interrupts the ambiance in a room and sleep
- Warms a room, but the ceiling is the warmest place due to warm/hot air rising
- Requires maintenance
- Often in the way of furniture or curtains/drapes
- Often expensive to operate
- Often supplemented with plug-in “space heaters” which can be dangerous and have lead to home fires and deaths
- Short life-cycle, often less than 15 years, requiring maintenance
- These can lead to unhealthy indoor air quality, triggering asthma, allergies, etc.
These are infrared photographs of an electric baseboard that eventually heated up to 140 degrees F.
Notice how the heat is radiating on the inside and warm air is rising up the wall. This type of electric heating requires at least twice the amount of energy that our infrared panels require.
IR photos courtesy of Pinnacle Inspection
