Do you like to sit on the balcony or terrace for a long time? Then a radiant heater is just what you need. It not only ensures pleasant temperatures, but also a feel-good atmosphere.
The warm season has finally arrived and the nice weather is pulling everyone outside. If you want to end the day in the fresh air after a barbecue in the evening, you could shiver a little without a heat source. In order to avoid this effect, more and more balcony and terrace owners are turning to infrared radiant heaters, which keep their outdoor area nice and warm even when it gets dark. Or if you want to enjoy autumn days in the garden. Find out here how to recognize a quality device and choose the right model for your outdoor area.
How does an infrared heater work?
Electric heater with infrared tube and reflector
Infrared radiant heaters are usually operated electrically. Instead, they are sold with a power plug for quick connection. So you can relax and enjoy the heat generated without having to keep checking the filling level of a gas bottle. Operation with electricity also has other advantages: Without burning gas, infrared heaters do not produce any dangerous emissions when heating and can therefore safely be used in semi-closed areas and even indoors - in contrast to conventional gas heaters. If you combine your electric radiant heater with solar or green electricity, you are also doing something good for the environment. This is how you ensure exhaust-free warmth outside.
Good infrared heaters have a heating tube with ultra low glare properties. This means that they emit significantly less light when heated than competing products. The heating element is electrically heated and emits short-wave infrared radiation, which is extremely wind-resistant and quickly reaches the target. Within seconds of turning it on, you'll feel intense, sun-like warmth. The emitted infrared radiation has a direct effect on the surrounding matter (surfaces, objects, skin) instead of just the airto heat. Perfect for heating the balcony, terrace and garden and possibly even celebrating a garden party in winter.
The ingenious outdoor radiant heaters from VASNER have an additional reflector so that no energy and heat is unnecessarily lost to the rear and the heat waves heat exactly the desired area. This is located behind the heating tube and ensures that the infrared radiation is reflected forward and spreads over the largest possible area.
The ideal design: Standing heater or wall & ceiling heater on the balcony
You can basically choose between a free-standing heater and a patio heater that is fixed to the wall or ceiling. Both variants have their own advantages. While a wall heater only has to be installed and aligned once and then reliably provides pleasant warmth from above, an infrared heater can be used flexibly and in a mobile manner. The leg area under the patio table in particular benefits from the use of a standing heater. The radiant heat from wall and ceiling heaters, on the other hand, is often blocked by the tabletop, which means that the lower body and feet quickly get cold in the evening.
Sufficient water protection is important for radiant heaters in open outdoor areas and in damp rooms such as the bathroom
If you want to leave your infrared radiant heater outside despite the rain, or are looking for an additional heat source for the bathroom, you need a device with comprehensive protection - characterized by the IP protection classes. The IP protection class IP65, for example, is ideal for this, which guarantees both sufficient protection against dust and strong water jets. IP44 (splash water protection) can also be sufficient on a covered balcony and in the bathroom. IP20, on the other hand, means that a patio heater has no protection against rain, moisture and water and must therefore be stored in a dry place after each use.
Useful additional functions of electric radiant heaters
❍ Remote Control:
Above all, you should only buy infrared radiant heaters for walls and ceilings if they come with a remote control. Otherwise the controls are extremely impractical.
❍ Dimmability:
The more heating levels an infrared heater has, the more flexible you can determine the temperature of your indoor/outdoor area.
❍ App control:
Technology fans also get radiant heaters with a smartphone/tablet app and exciting additional functions such as infinitely variableDimming and music streaming feature.
❍ Timer:
Heating is even more relaxed if your infrared patio heater has a sleep timer. This allows you to set a time at which the automatic switch-off switches the device off by itself. This function is also very good for the safety of the emitters.
❍ Overheating protection/anti-tipping protection with automatic switch-off:
If electric radiant heaters should fall over or become too hot due to accidental contact with other objects or for other reasons, it is important that the tube stops giving off heat. This is guaranteed thanks to a tipping or overheating protection with automatic switch-off.
Notes on electricity load, heating surface & heating costs incurred by electric balcony heaters
❍ Current load:
Infrared heaters usually have a heat output of approx. 1500 - 3000 watts (1.5 - 3 kW). Since a normal power line in the house or on the terrace has approx. 3.5 kW at 16 amperes, problems can arise if you want to operate several radiant heaters or a heater together with other electrical devices outdoors. In such cases, however, an electrician can easily lay an additional supply line. However, using a single patio heater is usually not a problem.
❍ Heating surface:
The heatable area depends heavily on the individual properties of your balcony or terrace and the performance of the selected device. As a guideline, up to 25 m² can normally be heated indoors and approx. 12 m² outdoors if you use a 2000 watt electric radiant heater. So perfect if you want to make your balcony cozy and provide cozy warmth in the evening hours.
❍ Heating costs:
The following running costs are incurred at an average hourly electricity price of 29 cents/kWh if such a radiant heater heats through at the highest heating level:
2 kW0.29 €/kWh=0.58 €/h → 58 cents per hour