How does Far Infrared heating work?

Far Infrared is radiant heating and is most easily absorbed by people’s skin. In fact, all objects, including us emit and absorb infrared.

Far Infrared heaters take advantage of the unique warming properties of this radiation. When the Far Infrared waves touch surfaces in a room, heat energy is released and so the ceiling, walls and floor of a room are gently heated.

That’s what we call “thermal mass” and because the room no longer is absorbing our body heat, we feel warm. In fact, we are built to respond to this form of heat as it is what we feel when we are in front of an open fire or feeling the sun on our faces.

We absorb Far Infrared radiation exceptionally well, because our bodies are 80% water and the long wave form acts very effectively on this.

If you compare that with conventional heating, there is a world of difference. The convection process that central heating systems use, for example, is geared to warming the air, which is far less effective in transferring thermal energy to a building.

Comfort heating

In all this, we are thinking about the essential purpose of heating, which should be to make us feel comfortable. Finding the comfort zone is really about what we are most responsive to and what works most effectively.

The most natural comfort is about the temperature of our surroundings, more than how warm the air is.

While a Far Infrared heating system will use 25 Watts per cubic metre, you would need to burn 45W m3 in a convection-based system to achieve same level of comfort.

This is because the air that is warmed by a standard central heating system or other conventional heating solution is always rising and escapes through drafts and dissipation, so the process is very inefficient.

All-round radiator

Far Infrared is the most efficient way of raising the thermal mass of a room or building and when the temperature is higher than 17% C, we feel naturally comfortable.

Equally important, the heater(s) will only need to be active for short “top-ups” as the room itself is now an all-round radiator.

This warming of a building has added benefits. By keeping the material in a property at a higher temperature with lower air temperatures, the build-up of moisture is much less. The walls dry out and so less condensation and damp forms, meaning less or no mould.

Far Infrared heaters are very energy-efficient, with nearly all the electricity used converted to heat and they are also silent while emitting no light or pollutants. A further bonus is that they are completely maintenance free, unlike central heating systems, or lamp based solutions.

They also offer more control and cost-savings in a building. For example, in the home, Far Infrared panels can be centrally managed through a smart phone or app, switched on and off as needed depending on the rooms being used. Because the building fabric is warmed, overall comfort levels remain high.

The Far Infrared panels are versatile, easy to install and can be fixed to walls and ceilings, or act as standalone heaters.

Far Infrared heaters

For commercial spaces, as well as panels, there are Far Infrared heater designs that will heat general areas and specific zones for maximum efficiency and comfort. Far Infrared heaters take advantage of the unique warming properties of this radiation. When the Far Infrared waves touch surfaces in a room, heat energy is released and so the ceiling, walls and floor of a room are gently heated.