Welcome to your patio heater buying guide. Here, we’ll dive into finding the ideal infrared heater for your outdoor space. Outdoor living is now vital in our homes, bringing warmth and comfort all year. Infrared heaters are perfect for making patios cosy, even on cool evenings.
It’s important to know how to pick the right infrared heater, as there are many available. With some key advice, you can choose one that fits your heating needs. Plus, it will make your patio look great and work better.
Understanding Infrared Heating Technology
In the quest for a comfortable outdoor environment, understanding infrared heating technology is essential. This method changes how we experience our patios on cool evenings. It warms up people and objects directly, not the air around them. This provides a unique way to stay warm outside.
What Are Infrared Heaters?
Infrared heaters use infrared radiation to warm up spaces efficiently. They work like the sun, giving off heat that instantly warms people and objects near them. It takes just 3 to 5 minutes for the panels to get fully hot. Infrared heaters are reliable in different weather conditions, including wind and cold. Companies like The Heat Outdoors offer top-quality heaters. This means you can enjoy your outdoor area all year round.
Benefits of Infrared Heating
The benefits of infrared heating include several key points that homeowners find appealing. Most importantly, they’re energy efficient, cutting heating costs by 30 to 50%. This establishes infrared as a cost-effective choice for outdoor heating. Also, by choosing infrared, you’re helping to reduce household emissions. This supports a greener lifestyle. Finding the right heater is important because quality differs widely.
Choosing the Perfect Infrared Heater for Your Patio
To pick the right outdoor infrared heater, you need to look at your patio closely. This means checking the size and shape, seeing what heaters are out there, and knowing about the power they need. Making sure you choose one that heats well is essential.
Assess Your Outdoor Space
First, measure your patio to understand what heater size you need. It’s important for spreading the warmth evenly. Think about whether your patio is covered or open. The location of where people sit is also key for ensuring they’re warm enough.
Types of Infrared Heaters
Infrared heaters come in different styles, like wall-mounted, freestanding, or ceiling-mounted. You can choose low-glare or high-glare models depending on how bright you want it. They can be portable or fixed, fitting different spaces and needs.
Power Requirements and Wattage
Finding out the power and wattage needed is a big step in choosing your heater. Multiply length and width of your space to get square metres. For a 4m by 5m area, that’s 20sqm. Usually, you need 60 to 70 watts per square metre. So, you might need around 1200 watts. But if your place is big or not well insulated, add more power.
For big spaces, using two smaller heaters works better than one big one. This makes the heat spread more evenly. Patio heaters’ power can vary from 800W to 2.1kW. Remember, higher power can mean higher cost. Yet, electric infrared heaters are cost-efficient, saving up to 50% in energy. They typically cost £0.08 to £0.24 per hour to run.
Installation and Maintenance of Infrared Heaters
It’s crucial to install and look after infrared heaters well to get the most out of them. They should be placed about 2.2m to 2.8m up, pointing at areas where people spend a lot of time. This helps them warm up quickly, which is great for unexpected cold nights. Installing them carefully can improve your time spent outdoors.
Infrared heaters are good at saving energy. A 600-Watt panel can use about 60% less energy than traditional 1500-Watt heaters. Even if they cost more at first, the money saved on energy and their long-lasting heat make them worth it. They can last for more than 30 years, offering a chance to save a lot of money.
Looking after infrared heaters is easy. They need less maintenance than gas boilers, which are more expensive to set up and keep running. Products like Surya IR Heating’s Infrared Panels are becoming popular because they are simple to use. They come with remote controls and timers, adding convenience and savings. Knowing how to install and maintain these heaters can make your outdoor areas cozier.
