How do far-infrared heaters compare with air source heat pumps?
The key difference with Infrared heaters is that they are radiant heaters and heat objects and people first rather than the air in a room. Air Source Heat pump systems will loose heat due to normal air flow through the home.
Infrared heaters, in this case Far-Infrared heaters, work by passing electricity though an element. In Jigsaw’s products we use two different types of heating mat. These fill around 90% of the surface area of the panel. This enables heat and infrared light to be released in to the room and warm the fabric of the building, furniture and the people in the room.
Infrared heat is reflected off surfaces it cannot be absorbed by. Material that can store it will radiate it from its surfaces. This provides a gentle even heat and an even temperature release into the room.
- Low cost
- Fast warm up time
- Low installation cost
- Fast installation
- Long working life (20+ years)
- Heat room by room (Not a central heating system)
- No maintenance
- No moving parts
- No noise and can be hidden
- Healthy heat and lower levels of moisture
- Surfaces and walls are warm meaning mould cannot form
- Even heating throughout the space
- Panels will also warm the flooring
- Reduced levels of heat loss as building stores the energy. Open doors and windows will not cause all heat to be lost.
- Reduced air movement preventing dust, pollen and allergens circulating
- Renewable energy can provide the panels energy. Solar, battery and wind can reduce energy bills.
- Our intelligent thermostats can control each room independently. The room sensors can be used to sense when someone is in the room and only heat when a person is present. Lower temperatures can be set when the room is empty.
Sirius Series Panel in Situ
Heat pumps work by extracting heat from the surrounding air. The pumps work well at milder temperatures but will start to struggle and will rely more on electricity making them expensive to run at lower temperatures. On colder days, the system will not be able to provide enough heat to warm the building.
- Large footprint and sometimes physical housing required for external condenser unit
- Noise caused by condenser fans
- Short viable economic life (10 years)
- Upgrade of current radiators potentially required. Lower water temperatures require a larger radiator.
- Regular maintenance required. This will increase as the pump ages.
- Runs on harmful gases in the refrigerant which can leak. Adding to environmental issues.
- Heating run off large radiators which created draughty and uneven heat
- Dry air which causes discomfort and irritation. Convection circulates allergens.
- Hot air at the ceiling and low at the floor
- Heat loss when doors and windows are open. Requires more energy to warm the room.
- High CO2 WLC (Whole Life Carbon) in production of the equipment.
- Insufficient heat on colder days.
Heat Pump in Situ
When comparing Air Source Heat Pumps and Far-infrared heating panels we found that far-infrared heating can reduce initial costs and have a more simple installation process. The infrared heating panels are the most efficient way of using electricity to heat your home. Jigsaw provide a wide range of wall or ceiling mounted heating panels and they are available in a variety of wattages and shapes in our glass and mirror range.