Infrared heating: Building & Installation Benefits
The following is a summary of the benefits of infrared heating systems over traditional forms of heating to buildings and the installation process.
Main Differences: Convection vs. Radiation Heating
| Convection Heating | Infrared Radiation Heating |
 |
 |
| Damp air creates mildew and destroys masonry | Objects and masonry stay dry and intact |
| Insulation necessary behind heat source and to prevent cold walls chilling the room | No insulation necessary. Walls and other objects heat the room. |
| Temperature differences within the room cause draughts | No heat layering and no draughts |
| Expensive to buy and operate, storage of fuel, flues / chimneys, | Economical to purchase, and energy-saving operation, no flues or chimneys, no fuel tanks, easy to install |
| Moving parts require servicing and make product life uncertain | No moving parts. Product life exceptionally long. No maintenance schedule so no interim expenses. |
| Costly to upgrade heat source (e.g. boilers, central heating system) | Cheap to upgrade. |
| Specialist required to install | If you can hang a picture, you can install an Infrared heater. |
Up until the introduction of air-heating systems, the maintenance intervals for the inventories and interiors of historical buildings were long. This was because these buildings were typically heated by radiant sources of heat such as stoves or burners (as opposed to convection). After the introduction of air-heating systems, intensive measures became necessary every few years against mould, fungus, salt damp, surface contamination, subsurface rot, etc.
This is because convection heating creates warm air currents which carry dirt and moisture and create warm air, but cold walls (where the warm air condenses). Radiant heaters heat objects in a room and not the air, meaning generally cooler room air temperatures and warmer objects, and therefore warm, dry and mould-free walls and furnishings (furniture/inventory/exhibits).
And end to damp masonry and its associated problems
Heating rooms with Infra red Heaters prevents condensation and its associated moisture problems (hot, damp air meeting a cold surface). WIth IR, it is not the air that is heated, but the object (the wall, the furniture, etc.) Consequently the problems associated with damp are eliminated: salt-damp in masonry, mildew, wood rot, paint flaking etc.
Because masonry dries out, the thermal reflectivity of the room also improves. This is because damp masonry conducts heat away from source, whereas dry masonry reflects heat towards source (thereby maximising the energy-efficiency of that heat source). You may hear this being referred to as the "U value": where a 'low' value is to be found in dry masonry and a high value in wet.
This therefore has application and value in historical buildings, for example, or hospitals, where the present of heat and damp together need to be discouraged. Infrared dries walls and plaster and preserves paintings and fabrics.
