Radiant heat panels are commonly found in homes across Europe but today we’re seeing more and more radiant heating panels being in installed in homes throughout America. With their superior warmth, energy efficiency, and rapid warmup times, its easy to see why. Stand near a radiant heat panel and you’ll quickly realize that they provide a feeling of comfort that can not be achieved with traditional heating systems.
How do Radiant Panel Heaters Work?
Radiant heat panels convert electrical energy into infrared radiation. Infrared radiation is part of the electromagnetic wave spectrum. It has a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than radio waves and microwaves. Infrared radiation can be seen as heat or thermal radiation. Infrared radiation is the direct transfer of energy from one thing to another without warming up the air in between. Like sunlight, it’ll warm you up if you stand near it. But unlike sunlight, infrared doesn’t cause any damage to your skin. The temperature is the same feeling of warmness as the summer sun on your skin and the hot water coming out of your shower. It is also the same type of energy emitted by your own body during exercise. It is the simplest form of heating known to mankind.
Are Radiant Heating Panels Efficient?
Absolutely. Radiant heat panels are becoming increasingly popular because they provide energy efficiency and comfort at the same time. A radiant panel heats objects through conduction rather than convection. This means that spaces and objects are not heated by circulating hot air. Instead, radiant heating panels transfer the heat directly to mass – like walls, floors, furniture, and you! These objects absorb the heat and gently radiate it back into the space. As a result, radiant heating panels are much more efficient than traditional heating systems. They also offer other benefits such as durability, low maintenance costs, and ease of installation. Radiant heating panels are also very quiet. You won’t hear them running unless you’re right next to them. And when you turn them off, there’s no noise from fans or blowers. With today’s new technology, we can now heat up any room using infrared radiant heating in an extremely effective, stylish, and comfortable manner.
Do Radiant Heat Panels Cost a lot to Operate?
How much electricity a radiant heat panel uses depends on the wattage of the panel. You can easily find the consumption by dividing the total wattage by 1000. Once you have the consumption, you simply multiple the kWh consumed by the kWh cost in your area. For example, a 400W radiant heat panel consumes 0.4 kWh of electricity per hour (400W/1000). Using the national average electricity cost of $0.14/kWh, a 400W radiant heating panel costs just over $0.05 per hour (0.4 kWh * $0.14/kWh) to operate. In most cases, radiant heat panels do not need to run 24/7 to keep the space warm and comfortable. You may find that the panels only need to run a few hours a day to maintain your desired temperature.
What Size Radiant Heat Panel Do I need?
The first step to determine what size radiant heat panel you need is to determine the square footage of the space. With this in hand, select a radiant heat panel that provides enough coverage for the area. The higher the wattage, the larger space the radiant heater can heat. For larger spaces, you might find that you’ll need more than one radiant heating panel. Keep in mind that radiant heating panels have a “general” square foot heating range and that factors such as ceiling heights, windows, and insulation can have an impact on this number. For example, if you have an older home with leaky windows and little insulation, you’ll want to increase the size of the radiant heat panels or the number of heaters. The team at Green Wave Distribution is always available for free system sizing consultations so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Why Choose a Radiant Heat Panel from Green Wave Distribution?
Green Wave Distribution only carries the highest quality radiant heat panels. Our Herschel radiant heating panels are manufactured in Germany using German components and feature industry leading warranties. Our team of heating system designers are experts in sizing and selecting the right radiant heat panels for your home or commercial property. You don’t have to take our word for it, just ask one of the hundreds of satisfied customers throughout the USA!
