Comparison
The comparison with other heating systems
While infrared heating heats everything except the air, the opposite happens with convection-based heating — with consequences few people are aware of.
The big difference between an infrared heater and a conventional convection-based heater is the way heat is distributed. While infrared heating heats everything except the air, the opposite happens with convection-based heating.
The radiator heats the air next to it. This rises up to the ceiling, steadily decreases in temperature on its way to the opposite wall, sinks to the floor and finally returns to the radiator. This causes air to circulate in the room, which heats the entire room air — this is called convection. However, this well-known and widely used system has a number of disadvantages that most people are not aware of.
Water heating
Room climate
Heating the air also changes the humidity. The result is dry heating air in winter. The consequences are drying out of the skin and mucous membranes; the risk of colds increases.
Dust turbulence
To improve efficiency, radiators have an optimised design with fins to accelerate the air more. A lot of dust is stirred up and distributed throughout the room — even in the air that is breathed in.
House dust allergy
Air circulation stirs up not only dust but also the excrement of the house dust mites living in it. This is why people with house dust allergies have great problems, especially during the heating season.
Moisture
Warm air can absorb more moisture than cold air. The water vapour always condenses at the coldest point in the room — in winter these are usually the windows and walls.
Mould
The combination of warm air and moisture on a wall is the optimal living environment for mould. Black mould spores are naturally present in the air and are distributed throughout the room by air circulation. If the room is warm and the wall cold, they settle there.
Air layering
The rising warm air and the sinking cold air create air layering with different temperature levels. This effect is colloquially known as "warm head and cold feet" and is perceived as uncomfortable.
Ventilation
A relatively large amount of effort is put into heating the room air: burning an energy source, heating water, transporting it to the radiator. But for a comfortable indoor climate, regular ventilation is necessary — and all the energy is lost in the process.
Inertia of the system
A radiator continues to heat for up to 30 minutes and needs about 10 minutes to come up to temperature when switched on again. Water is a good heat accumulator, but it releases this heat only slowly. Due to this inertia, large amounts of energy are wasted during the heating period.
Maintenance and repair
Such heating systems require annual maintenance, for example to replace clogged filters, plus a visit from the chimney sweep. Possible repairs due to wear and tear come on top. Annual maintenance costs remain.
Electric heating
Electric underfloor heating
A wire is laid under the floor covering, similar to water underfloor heating. When current flows through it, it becomes extremely hot and heats its surroundings. This method is inefficient, however, because the hot wire must first bring all the gaps up to temperature before there is a noticeable increase. The technique is also very energy-intensive.
Night storage heater
Storage media are heated with cheaper night-time electricity and release their heat to the rooms, usually with the help of built-in fans. This heating method is also extremely inefficient and uneconomical. A ban is therefore a recurring topic in politics.
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