Power Source

Infrared heaters can be powered by a couple of sources: you can have electric infrared heaters as well as natural gas and propane infrared heaters. They come in several different styles, but the most common style is a wire mesh that is heated by the power source and gives off the radiative heat. The heat is emitted via electromagnetic energy waves which largely pass right through the air (a negligible amount of heat is actually absorbed by particles in the air, but this is less than 1% of the total heat emitted).

Indoors Use

Infrared heaters are a good choice for indoors heating and can even help you save some money on your heating bill. The best thing about infrared heaters is that they work very quickly – much quicker than a convection heater) since they don’t have to heat the air in a room before you start to feel the heat. You can generally feel the heat from an infrared heater as soon as you turn it on. Many people are turning on to infrared heaters for indoors use and choosing a quartz infrared heater has become very popular lately.

Outdoors Use

In addition to being useful for many indoors heating situations, infrared heaters are also a great choice for outdoors heating. Due to the uncontrolled air currents outdoors, conventional heaters that use convection to heat the area are inefficient and ineffective outside. As the heat given off by infrared heaters is independent of the air currents – and even passes right through them – infrared heaters are both efficient and effective for outdoors heating. This makes them a popular choice for heating outdoor areas, like patios, gardens and waiting areas (such as outside restaurants). Reviews of infrared heaters in these outdoors situations have been very positive.

One attribute of infrared heaters is that the heat they give off dissipates quickly when the heater is turned off, due to the fact that the air itself has not been heated. This is useful for situations where the temperature needs to be strictly controlled, such as food preparation. Turning the heater off effectively ends the heating process, allowing for more responsive and immediate temperature control. This also means that infrared heaters are generally not the best choice for areas that need to be heated indefinitely. If you need to heat a room or building all day for several days at a time, then an electric or propane convection heater would most likely be a better choice.

Overall, infrared heaters are somewhat situational and not suitable for every heating need, but they are also very efficient and quiet, and can prove to be effective heaters in the right spot.

Spelling

Quick note on the spelling: it’s infrared heater, not infared heater.