Cut your energy costs with Infrared Heating
SunSwitch quartz halogen infrared heaters are ideal for buildings where it is no longer practical or cost-effective to provide comfortable conditions by raising the air temperature.
This includes poorly insulated buildings such as conservatories, older workshops, industrial units, village halls, churches and marquees. In many such buildings, if you warm the air, for example with convector heaters, the warm air will rise to the ceiling where it is of little use to occupants. In the diagram, warm air has risen to the ceiling, leaving occupants literally out in the cold. This unpleasant effect can occur in buildings just a few metres high.
Moreover, if a building is poorly insulated or too ‘leaky’, any warmed air will simply escape. And, if the building is used only intermittently, it can take hours or even days to take the chill off.
The truly effective, money-saving heating solution
The solution is to install SunSwitch quartz halogen infrared. Our heaters work instantly and provide outstanding comfort and they combine warmth with low, calculable running costs. Infrared heating can save up to 70% compared to traditional air heating systems because there is no dispersion of the heat.
SunSwitch quartz halogen heaters produce what is known as short-wave infrared. This is radiant heat energy which travels through the air easily and warms you exactly like the warmth of the sun’s rays (but without any potentially harmful UV). This allows you to provide local warming and focus the heat just where you want it.
SunSwitch heaters don’t warm the air directly, so the air temperature is lower than it would be with other heating methods. This not only saves energy, but it makes for far more comfortable working conditions.
As there is no movement of air, they can also be used to heat areas where dust or micro particles are present, guaranteeing air quality and with no impact on workers’ health.
70%
Heater placement
In general, we recommend placement of quartz halogen heaters above head height, angled downwards at about 45 degrees. This ensures the infrared rays warm the side of the body. Ideally, heaters should be positioned so that more than one side of the body is warmed at once. This greatly increases comfort levels.
In the second diagram, the infrared heaters are pointing straight down. Except for certain industrial applications, this configuration is not recommended, as the only parts of the body exposed to the warming infrared rays are the tops of peoples heads and their shoulders. This will not feel comfortable or provide effective warming.
Calculate your heating costs
You can calculate your running costs with quartz halogen easily:
- Add together the total power rating in kilowatts (kW) of your heaters. The power rating is shown on the serial plate (1000 Watts = 1 kW).
- Your electricity bill shows the cost of buying a unit of electricity. One unit is one kilowatt of load for one hour. To work out your maximum running cost, simply multiply the unit cost by the total heater load.
In our experience of sizing heating for a wide range of buildings, quartz halogen can lower your energy consumption by as much as 60% compared with other heating methods.
Further savings are possible. In mild weather turn off some heaters. Better still, by using controllers such as the SunSwitch CC1 or CC3 you can adjust heater output instantly. These work exactly like a dimmer switch. They allows you to dial in the comfort level you want, and reduces energy consumption when you turn the heat down. An added bonus is that they greatly lengthen the service life of the heaters as they run cooler.
Quote & Expert Advice
Not sure which infrared heaters are right for you? No problem! Our complimentary Expert Advice Service will help you to understand which heating products are best suited to your space.