ᐅ Experience with infrared heating systems

Hello Peter,
my wife and I are currently planning a major renovation of our house, and among other things, the topic of upgrading the heating system has come up.
We have also come across infrared heaters but are unsure whether this type of heating makes sense given the electricity prices and other factors.

Does anyone here possibly have experience with such a heating system and can share some insights?

Best regards,
Peter and Hannelore

Due to the fact that an infrared heater converts electricity almost 1:1, this type of heating is only practical for an entire house if the heating demand is correspondingly low.
Are you renovating to KfW40 standard or better? Then yes.
Am I renovating a nice house for you? Then never.

Welcome to the forum,
please share some information about your current heating system,
such as coal stoves, gas, oil, central heating, radiators, underfloor heating, etc., and hot water?
What area needs to be heated, and how many kWh have you consumed annually?

Hello Peter,

Apart from the question of cost-effectiveness, I would like to raise another important aspect that must be considered. The radiant heat from infrared heaters is perceived differently by everyone. Some swear by it and find it comfortable, but I, for example, cannot appreciate it and have found it unpleasant based on my experience. For me, this type of heating would only be a last resort and not suitable as a primary heating system. Financially, it is not viable either.

netuser schrieb:

Hello Peter,

Aside from the question of cost-effectiveness, I want to bring up another important aspect that must be considered. People perceive the radiant heat from infrared heaters quite differently. Some really like it and find it comfortable, but for example, I personally don’t like it and find it unpleasant based on my experience. So for me, this type of heating would only be a last resort and not suitable as a primary heating system. Financially, it is not viable anyway.

Thank you very much! So, accordingly, only in the bathroom or in individual rooms?

We are planning an upgrade to a low-energy/efficient house and want to explore all options thoroughly. The question is whether, looking towards the future (both economically and environmentally), it is more sensible to rely on electricity. Of course, electricity prices always rise, but that is no different with gas and so on.

PeterPaule schrieb:

Thank you very much!
So, accordingly, only in the bathroom or individual rooms?

I didn’t want to completely dismiss or exclude them. But yes, in my opinion, they serve their purpose best for example in the bathroom or as a "backup solution" in individual rooms.

PeterPaule schrieb:

We are planning an upgrade to a low-energy/efficient home and therefore want to thoroughly explore all options. The question is whether, regarding the future (both economically and environmentally), it would be more sensible to rely on electricity. Of course, electricity prices are always rising, but that’s no different with gas, etc.

It may be that for this planned upgrade, IR heating should not be ruled out as a primary source, provided my note about possible "unpleasant sensations" does not apply.

However, personally, for a planned major efficiency upgrade, I consider other heating methods to be more effective solutions.
This was just in response to your general question about IR. 🙂