ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INFRARED HEATING AND HOW TO INSTALL IT
If you’re new to infrared (IR) heating it’s time to wake up to a warm and cosy feeling. IR heating is simple to understand, easy to install, and cheap to run. You’ll find all the detail you need further down this page. First off let’s tell you how it works.
IR Heating: all the heat of the sun, none of the burn
The easiest way to understand how IR works is to stand outside on a nice sunny day (not always easy in the UK!). If you stand in full sunshine you feel warm – but where is the warmth coming from? No boiler is running. No electric or convection heaters are on. Yet stay still and you’ll keep on warming-up.
It’s quite simple. The radiant heat of the sun is hitting your body and warming you up. And it’s IR radiation – the good radiation, not the ultra-violet radiation that gives you sunburn. In terms of technology IR heating is the latest and newest way to keep your home or office warm.
Unlike conventional heaters, where the heat goes into the air but quickly dissipates, IR directly warms up humans, animals, and the objects around you. It works both indoors and out.
10 REASONS TO INVEST IN IR HEATING
The first question most people ask is why they should invest in IR heating when they need additional heating, or they are considering a complete change of heating technology. Here are just 10 reasons to invest.
2. Cost-effective
3. Instant heat
4. More than just ‘white space’
5. Slimline and unobtrusive
6. Tactical, portable, task-focussed
7. Improved air quality
8. Task-focussed zone heating
9. Eco friendly
10. Smart wi-fi facility
Also on this page: More Fascinating Facts
The science behind IR
Lot 20
IP Ratings
IR for allergy sufferers
Taking care of your heater
Is IR pet friendly?
Is IR OK for outdoor animals?
Even in larger projects, it is unlikely your installer will require more than a day to fit our IR panels. Unlike conventional boilers, IR panels do not require any pipework, making installation as straightforward as mounting the system onto either the wall or ceiling, then connecting it to an electrical circuit.
Tactical, portable, free-standing heating on demand
WHAT IS THE SCIENCE BEHIND IR RADIATION?
It's honestly quite simple. everything in this universe gives off some form of IR radiation. At one level the sun is our biggest daytime source of IR. At another it’s how your TV changes channel. Using similarly advanced technology, we can safely get the same sort of radiation we can get from the sun using an IR heater. The IR spectrum is completely invisible to the naked eye. Certain animals – fish, snakes and mosquitoes, amongst others, use it to find their prey. In comparison, humans only see visible light, that part of the electromagnetic spectrum that suits our eyes. Actually there are whole areas of radiation that humans cannot access.
IR splits into two categories: Near IR and Far IR.
NEAR IR
Near IR (also known as Short Wave IR ) wavelengths produce high temperatures as their small wavelengths produce heat that is extremely “transmissible”. This makes Near IR heaters a great option for outdoor areas such as: patio, gazebo, summer houses or conservatories. Outdoor heaters tend to use this technology as a way to provide heat that’s ‘on demand’. They have a higher level of heat on the surface.
Halogen and Quartz bulbs are amazing examples of Near IR. These heaters warm up the surface even quicker using higher frequency waves but shorter wave lengths.
FAR IR
Far IR heaters are vastly energy-efficient with the majority of the electricity used transferred into heat. In addition they work silently and emit no light. Another benefit of using our far IR heaters is that they are entirely maintenance free.
As soon as far IR waves touch objects and surfaces, thermal energy is released, heating bodies, the walls, floor, and ceiling. Far IR thermal radiation is effortlessly absorbed by our skin as our human bodies are made up of 80% of water which increase the efficiency of IR waves.
MORE FASCINATING FACTS
Lot 20
Lot 20 is legislation created and enforced by the European Union that helps separate the efficient and inefficient heaters on the market. In the long term, this should help homes in the UK to heat up their houses and general workspaces for less.
Lot 20 will also help the UK Government reach its plans on reducing at least 68% of emissions and greenhouse gasses by the year 2030. You can find out more about the UK Government’s future plans on this here.
It’s all about efficiency. IR Heaters and Halogen Heaters are classed as electrical heaters, and any heaters above 250W must have an efficiency rating of 30%. This is the minimum requirement heaters need to be sold within the UK. If a product is not Lot 20 compliant it will not be allowed to be sold within the UK.
All IR heaters for sale on this site are Lot 20 compliant.
IP Ratings
IP stands for Ingress Protection mark, sometimes known as International (or Internal) Protection mark. The term "intrusion" within the context of an IP rating encompasses three aspects: it indicates the level of protection to users (such as hands and fingers) from mechanical or electrical components; it denotes the enclosure's ability to shield these crucial parts against dust, dirt, and other harmful foreign particles; and it represents the overall resistance of the device to moisture.
An IP rating generally consists of two digits and is assigned to the enclosure of a mechanical or electrical device:
The first digit of the rating tells you how it will be protected from physical objects such as screw drivers or rocks.
0 - (or X): Not rated (or no rating supplied) for protection against ingress of this type.
1 - Protection against solid objects larger than 50mm (accidental hand contact with open palm), but not against deliberate body contact
2 - Protection against solid objects larger than 12mm
3 - Protection against solid objects larger than 2.5mm
4 - Protection against solid objects larger than 1mm
5 - Partial protection against dust and other particulates, such that any ingress will not damage or impede the satisfactory performance of internal components
6 - Full protection against dust and other particulates, including a vacuum seal, tested against continuous airflow
The second digit tells you the level of water resistance the appliance has. This varies from water condensation, drip, water jets and total immersion.
0 (or X) - : Not rated for protection against ingress of this type
1 - Protection against vertically falling droplets, such as condensation.
2 - Protection against vertically dripping water when enclosure is tilted up to 15° off vertical.
3 - Protection against direct moisture spray at angles up to 60° off vertical.
4 - Protection against splashing water from any direction, tested for a minimum of 10 minutes with an oscillating spray. 5 - Protection against low-pressure jets from any angle.
6 - Protection against powerful jets from any direction.
7 - Protection against full immersion for up to 30 minutes at depths between 15cm and 1metre.
IR for allergy sufferers
Allergies unfortunately are very common. Whether it’s just Hay Fever or Asthma, 1 person out of 4 people suffer with some form of an allergy that causes coughing and sneezing, and scratchy burning watery red eyes. When you’re outside of your house or workplace it can be hard to control – but inside the type of heating you have can make a difference to those who are allergic to dust, pollen, pets, and mould. Most heaters use convection as a way to heat up a room. This causes hot air to go towards the ceiling, pushing the colder air downward. That means any dust or allergens are not only being swirled around the room, but around the entire building.
IR works completely differently to other heating systems. Rather than heat up the air, it heats up the objects, so there is no air circulating around the room. Therefore, no dust is being moved around your home and prevents your allergies from triggering. In addition our Far IR Heaters give off a gentle warmth so remove that feeling of overwhelming heat that can feel suffocating and cause dry nasal passages.
Taking care of your heater
Kiasa IR heaters are low maintenance, safe to leave on overnight and designed to make your life easier. Please do not hang anything from your Kiasa panel heater. We recommend keeping the area free of all debris, making sure the heater is away from all foreign objects. If there is dirt or dust present on your heater, simply wipe it off – we recommend you turn the unit off and let it cool down first..
If there is sagging, permanent discolouration, or loose wires or fittings, please contact a Kiasa team member for more advice on maintenance and repairs.
Is IR pet friendly?
IR heat stands out as the optimal choice for animals due to its ability to replicate natural warmth effectively. Unlike conventional heating methods, such as hot air blowers or heating pads, IR heat closely resembles the sun's radiant warmth, creating a gentle and comfortable environment for animals. This type of heat penetrates deeply, warming objects and surfaces rather than just the air, which allows animals to regulate their body temperature naturally. Furthermore, IR heat does not disturb the natural day-night cycle or emit harmful light, making it particularly suitable for nocturnal animals.
Overall, IR heat offers an unparalleled combination of safety, efficiency, and comfort, making it the best heating option for animals of all kinds. As well as being used in a domestic environment our IR heaters are popular with kennels and catteries.
If you are looking for a heater with adaptive thermostatic controls, look no further. The benefit of pure radiant heat means your bearded dragons, tortoises lizards or frogs can have the heat you set personally. Our remotes that come with our Smart IR Panel range let you set the temperature.
IR heaters are 100% safe, however there are a few things to consider when using them. If they are installed up high on the wall or ceiling mounted, you have nothing to worry about. But if the unit is portable, please ensure there is plenty of space between the surface of the unit and surrounding objects such as fabrics that can take on heat. Connect to a plug socket close to the panel heater. Where appropriate use clips to attach the cord along the wall to make sure it doesn’t touch the floor and become a tripping or chewing hazard for your pets.
We have multiple options for your pet friendly household. All our heaters are easy to clean and take care of, so don’t worry if your fluffy friend is sending hair all over your home. Simply take a smooth cloth, either dry or very slightly damp, and clean your product by wiping it down. This will remove dirt and grime and keep the product working to its fullest.
Is IR OK for outdoor animals?
Heating large spaces such as barns, horse stables or lambing sheds can be extremely difficult with challenges that may include large volumes of space, or open doorways needed to keep the place functional. Traditional methods of heating are expensive and inefficient as the warm air simply escapes to higher areas of the building rather than staying where it is needed. Our outdoor range is the perfect solution for this and will give you a more focused heating solution, minimising any heat loss
More compact pens and smaller areas, such as hen houses, often suffer a higher than usual heat loss and temperatures become difficult to manage and maintain. IR heating can make a really big difference to this as it is a form of directional heating warming up the animals instead of just heating the air.
Our outdoor range is just perfect for this. Instant effective heat that won't break the bank!