Infrared heating

kate83

http://www.multiguardheating.co.uk/

I'm really taken with this as heating but I'm sure it can't be as good as it says - does anybody have any experience with anything similar.
My main concern is how long they would have to be on for. They run on electric so could be expensive.
At the moment we've got ugly radiators, hideous gas fire in the living room and a 5year old combi boiler.
I was planning on swapping the gas fire for a wood stove but like the idea of these heaters as I could get rid of the radiators and pipes (all plumbing is external due to the concrete floors and walls)

I'm trying to increase my insulation as much as possible so that any heating becomes more efficient

tonycamps

Kate

I know a little about these The only brand that is currently being tested by the BRI and BBA is Redwell and not the ergonnomic sold by multiguard. Howver the efficiecy are as they quote. There is a site (can also help with the insulation)heat and energy dot org (all one word) Loads of info on there!

Cardew

I really detest these websites that are specifically designed to fool the layman into thinking their systems somehow produce more heat for the money - they don't!

It really is important to understand that all forms of electrical heating give out exactly the same amount of heat for the same cost*; and this includes these heaters. This includes fan heaters, oil filled radiators, and, as has been said many times, Granny's old 1/2/3 bar electric fire. They are all 100% efficient in turning electricity into heat.

The only difference is the way they produce the heat.

Infra red/halogen heaters have an advantage in that they can 'direct' heat toward a person; they are particularly useful for, say, someone sitting at a bench in a garage where it would be impractical to heat the whole garage.

Make no mistake, these panels ranging in size from 0.2kW to 0.57kW and costing I believe £hundreds each give out no more heat than the very cheapest heater on the market of similar power.

These adverts should be banned IMO!

* excluding Heat Pumps

Andy_WSM

Cardew wrote: »

These adverts should be banned IMO!

Totally agree.

tonycamps

What I find interesting about these forums is how many peolpe very actively make uninformed comments abouts things they either have no or zero ability to understand - a little research can go a long way prior to negative comment after comment on any and every issue in the forum, doom and gloom merchants, I bet these are the same people who said television, mobile phones, cds and computers were just a fad and and we believe we were better with 1 gas supplier, 1 electricity comapny etc. Look up TUV accreditation for infrared, it is the german equivalent of our Energy Rating

Cardew

tonycamps wrote: »

What I find interesting about these forums is how many peolpe very actively make uninformed comments abouts things they either have no or zero ability to understand - a little research can go a long way prior to negative comment after comment on any and every issue in the forum, doom and gloom merchants, I bet these are the same people who said television, mobile phones, cds and computers were just a fad and and we believe we were better with 1 gas supplier, 1 electricity comapny etc. Look up TUV accreditation for infrared, it is the german equivalent of our Energy Rating

Firstly, may I ask if you sell IR products? or have a vested interest?

Perhaps you can explain what you mean by 'uninformed comments' and who are you suggesting has 'no or zero ability to understand'(infra red)

tonycamps

I do not have a vested interest here in fact potentially the opposite as I am involved in renewables including your heat pumnps!
I do in the line of my business associate with the EST BBA and BRI etc and am well informed on where the industy authorities beliveve the marketplace will evelove in the coming 1 - 5 years, and the biggest anticpated change is the a turned favour to electrical heating as a result of imported gas pricing structures and the likelyhood of aution bidding ( effectively gazumped by an higher bidder whilst in transit)

As a result there has been extensive research in to infrared that has changed dramatically

There is no offence meant here but I repeatedly see comments that are misguided and lack any volume, I find it frustrating, however in retrospect my comments previously were contrived and for that I appologise!

Chewbumpkin

We have been using something very similar since the early 1990's! I was working in house modernisation at the time and my Clerk of Works showed an article about it to me, we investigated, bought, and have never looked back.
Ours have the panels set into convector heater type stands, 3 to 4 panels per heater, with the ability to decide how many panels to employ each time. They are also fitted with thermostats, so that they switch off/on automatically. They really heat a room up exceptionally quickly, so you only pay for the room(s) you are heating and the time you are using it. They are also portable, so if you need extra heat anywhere, you just pick up and go.
The only thing I would say, is that you need to have alternative heating avalable should there be a power cut, but then my neighbours' central heating wouldn't work either and had to be recalibrated etc after the power outages we have suffered, so no change there.
I have compared our electricity bills (we are all electric) with my next door neighbour's gas and electricity bills, and, over the year our total bill was quite a bit cheaper than theirs. We both have similar houses and lifestyles, so I can only assume that our total bill is less because they have central heating and we don't.
Having looked at the website, it seems that it has improved, at least in aesthetics, immensely, and I will be bringing it to OH's attention with a view to upgrading in the foreseeable future.

tonycamps

I have downloaded some energy facts from the site, they is a lot of data on there, realy need to print off to study. If you wish to PM me I will forward.

Cardew

tonycamps wrote: »

I do not have a vested interest here in fact potentially the opposite as I am involved in renewables including your heat pumnps!
I do in the line of my business associate with the EST BBA and BRI etc and am well informed on where the industy authorities beliveve the marketplace will evelove in the coming 1 - 5 years, and the biggest anticpated change is the a turned favour to electrical heating as a result of imported gas pricing structures and the likelyhood of aution bidding ( effectively gazumped by an higher bidder whilst in transit)

As a result there has been extensive research in to infrared that has changed dramatically

There is no offence meant here but I repeatedly see comments that are misguided and lack any volume, I find it frustrating, however in retrospect my comments previously were contrived and for that I appologise!

Thanks - sorry if I jumped the gun, but we get many salesmen who join MSE and post, posing as potential customers. It also seemed strange that on another thread(that asked about economical electrical heaters) you suggested infrared as they were very efficient!

However on the subject of infrared, have you read the website? and do you not feel it is disgraceful?

It is crafted to convince the uninformed that these heaters somehow produce more heat than other electrical heaters. In particular the table showing running costs for conventional heaters and infrared heaters is clearly designed to imply that the infrared heaters produce the same heat as conventional heaters that cost several times more to run.

As I said above, infrared heaters are suitable for some applications - I believe they are used in some churches in the USA to direct heat at the congregation.

If people want to pay £hundreds for stylish heaters of less than a kW output, that is their prerogative. However this is a money saving website and people should be informed of the facts about the heaters - and money saving they ain't!

Cardew

Chewbumpkin wrote: »

We have been using something very similar since the early 1990's! I was working in house modernisation at the time and my Clerk of Works showed an article about it to me, we investigated, bought, and have never looked back.
Ours have the panels set into convector heater type stands, 3 to 4 panels per heater, with the ability to decide how many panels to employ each time. They are also fitted with thermostats, so that they switch off/on automatically. They really heat a room up exceptionally quickly, so you only pay for the room(s) you are heating and the time you are using it. They are also portable, so if you need extra heat anywhere, you just pick up and go.

Are we talking about the same thing here? Or are you using the radiant(halogen) heaters?

The infrared heaters are not designed to 'heat up the room', just the opposite. Their purpose is to direct heat toward a specific area.