Are Infrared Heaters Worth It? [2020 edition]

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**Are Infrared heaters worth it? I mean really worth buying compared to cheaper heaters?**

In our house, we have a home office situated half way up our garden and I wanted to get some decent heat in there. It’s got two computers and we also bring the Guinea pigs inside it for Winter. What we ended up buying was a floor standing infrared panel heater. We looked at dozens of infrared heater reviews (and this helped us to write about on the best ones here) before going ahead.

So can I say it was worth it, getting one? Yes, infrared heaters are most certainly worth it. Here’s why: 1: They don’t give off stuffy heat that blows around the room (i.e. not good for asthma sufferers), 2: They are cheap enough to run, 3: There are different types – and some of them stay relatively cool to touch while ceramic plates inside warm up, while others have Quartz elements that glow Orange – and 4: In our experience from our own purchase, the infrared panel heater made it so that you could walk in to the office and it was “just nice” and took the edge off an otherwise freezing cold space.

Ultimately it’s really not expensive to run at all compared to other forms of heating.

Here is a really great explanation video (under 2 minutes) for infrared heating from herschel heating.

So in my quest to find out about infrared heaters I found out the following:

They are better for people with breathing issues

There’s nothing better than being able to warm up your body when you’ve been outside, but if you’ve got any dust allergies or breathing difficulties, you’ll know that fan heaters are not really ideal. They do blow fine dust particles around, so anything with a fan isn’t ideal. Central heating is nice and snuggly but can make breathing worse for many people (can’t beat fresh air circulating round!)

Suffering with Asthma is no fun. There are numerous triggers in your home. So if you can get rid of one trigger (dust) then it’s always a step in the right direction.

When the weather turns colder, many Asthma sufferers struggle as the central heating is turned on and dust mites enjoy the warmth of the air, but on the flip side, damp cold areas are no better for breathing issues.

Just another reason really why infrared heaters make so much sense really.

The running costs of infrared heating (Are infrared heaters expensive to run?)

More cost-effective than traditional electric convection heaters – It can be as high as 75% MORE efficient than most typical room heaters!

How come?

It comes down to how well the room is insulated compared to older less well insulated houses and rooms.

You can use our own custom made calculator here (opens in a new window) to work out the wattage you would need from an Infrared heater in a room or space.

If you were to run an infrared heater right through winter you can expect to save as much as TWO THIRDS of the cost.
A typical electric convection heater would cost as much as 15p per kilowatt hour whereas an infrared panel heater would cost around 5p per kilowatt hour.
The obvious benefit of this is that you only need a heater that is 2 thirds lower (in terms of power) to get the same output as a higher rated electric heater. So for example a 500 watt infrared panel heater would deliver the same heat as a 1500 watt electric convection heater.

Is an infrared heater better than electric?

Let’s weigh it up.

You get calm relaxing heat instead of stuffy radiator heat that takes all the moisture out of the air. Electric convection heaters cost more money to run too!
It is designed to maintain a constant temperature instead of you needing to turn up or down convection heaters
For ceramic infrared heaters, they wont burn your hands, unlike an electric heater or central heating system.
It is WAY more cost-effective!

What is an infrared heater’s effect on your electric bill?

Are infrared heating panels cost-effective? You bet they are. Compared to other forms of heating the effect of plugin in an infrared heater is quite minimal.
Roughly 5p per kilowatt hour compared to 15p or more per kilowatt hour for convection heaters, i.e. a third of the running cost.

Infrared heaters vs convection heating

So traditionally most homes would have used one of a number of forms of convection heating.

Convection heating is warming up the air, For example a storage heater or your central heater radiator system at home. They get warm and this heat rises through the air slowly heating the room up.

The trouble is it’s not that efficient, as heat can be lost through gaps in the floor, walls and windows etc.

Now if we take infrared heating (which is rapidly gaining popularity in the Uk) it doesn’t give off warm air that fills a room, it actually gives off real invisible infrared rays.

Once these rays hit something it starts to warm it up. This can be walls and people and is how we feel warm.
It’s just like the sun which gives off infrared heat rays. You feel the heat from the sun when it is directly on you.

The good thing about these infrared heaters is that they are a lot more efficient and cost-effective to run. If someone opens the door to a room being heated by infrared, it’s far easier and quicker to heat the room again with infrared, as there is heat effectively already locked into the walls etc. from the rays they absorbed.

Infrared heaters pros and cons

Infrared heating panels advantages include:

Cheap to run
No moving parts
No dust being blow about
Can be portable and water-resistant depending on the model you choose

Infrared heating panels disadvantages include:

The heat can take a little longer to make you feel nice and snug but that can also be the case with traditional heaters.

Infrared heater health risks

There are no health risks pertaining to the use of infrared heaters. People become worried whenever they hear the word “radiation”, but what you might not know is that infrared heaters have long been used in European countries will no ill adverse effects whatsoever.

Summary of findings:

Our calculator will help you work out what size of heater you need to get in order to heat your room.

Infrared heaters will be one of the most cost-effective heating options you can consider. They can be as stylish or standard as you want in terms of design aesthetics.
They’re better for people who have breathing issues.
They can be portable, but normal heaters can also be portable too!
They are completely safe.

Click here to see what is currently available on Amazon.

So, are infrared heaters worth it in your opinion? Do you own one and what have your experiences been with one? I’d love to know about it, so please do leave me a comment below.