Replacing storage heaters with infrared heaters?

Lots of people rely on storage heaters to warm their homes during the winter time. The majority of these units have been installed decades ago and home owners are looking to replacing storage heaters now with an alternative heating system. While they could replace their old storage heaters with new ones there is a new competing technology – infrared heating panels. But what makes infrared heaters really a better heating solution?

How do storage heaters work?

Also called night storage heaters the name already indicates the working principle. Storage heaters use electric energy to charge up the storage during the night and release the heat during the day. In many countries, there is a special lower tariff for electricity during the night so the storage heater basically consumes energy while electricity is at its lowest cost. The produced heat is being released through a fan in form of convection. Though the cheaper electricity cost per kWh is a fantastic trait, there are many disadvantages and replacing storage heaters might be a good idea.

Why replace storage heaters at all?

Owners of storage heaters know too well about their disadvantages:

• Convection heat is heating up the air instead of heating objects and bodies directly which can cause the air to dry up and dust to circulate: a nightmare for people with allergies or asthma. Hot air also oftentimes causes headaches.
• Since the air is being heated as soon as you open a window to let fresh air in, the room rapidly cools down.
• Homes with minimal building insulation release the hot air very quickly through the walls.
• 10% of the heat is already being wasted in the charging process during the night.
• Storage heaters have lots of limitations in terms of when and how much you want to heat. Once you used up all the heat from the storage your house will be cold as there is no option to heat it up again.
• You will have to select the charging level one day ahead meaning if the next day is a warm day you will waste a lot of heat and you will even be too hot and if you forget to adjust the settings and the next day is colder you will freeze in the evening.
• The controls are so limited that oftentimes once you are off from work your heater had already released all the heat. Since night storage heaters cannot store heat for a long time you will waste a lot of energy.
• Storage heaters use up a lot of space in the room and are not very stylish.
• Old storage heaters contain hazardous materials like asbestos and can be potentially dangerous for your health.

Comparing infrared heaters to storage heaters

Storage heaters have many disadvantages but using electricity for heating purposes will still be the future of heating. As renewable energies are increasing throughout the world in some countries we are already experiencing and overproduction of electricity. Why not use this green energy to also heat our homes and businesses?

How do infrared heating panels work?

But not all electric heaters are actually energy efficient as they use convection. Infrared heating panels heat objects, walls and bodies directly without heating just the air like convection heaters. These objects, in turn, store the heat and slowly release it over time into the room. The large storage volume keeps the heat much longer in the room than storage heaters and therefore you need to heat less. By storing the heat in the walls, they are kept dry and thus also prevent the formation of mold. Our modern thermostats provide exact control over temperature and times you want to heat. Don’t let your heater dictate your lifestyle and heat when you need to! With our thermostat control system, you will never waste any energy since you can exactly program which day of the week and at which time you want your house to be heated. And if your plans change spontaneously you can change those settings too.

Advantages of infrared heating panels

With Sundirect infrared heating panels you can save up to 50% of your heating costs compared to storage heaters. There is no convection with infrared heating panels, so no dust will be whirled up and the air will not be dried out. Most people report that with infrared heaters their well-being increases and they get fewer colds during the winter season. Since the air is relatively cool while you still feel cozy and warm you will be more active with fewer headaches due to hot dry air. Another advantage of infrared heating panels is that they run virtually without any noise and they hardly occupy space in the room. In terms of installation cost, they can be installed quickly and easily on walls and ceilings not requiring any specialist. If you wish to replace your night storage though please make sure to contact a specialist. With our many different models, Sundirect’s infrared heating panels can be a stylish decorative element of your room design or can be so discreetly installed on the ceiling that they become almost invisible. Also Sundirect infrared heating panels do not contain any harmful materials so they don’t pose any health risk for you. 

Best of all, Sundirect infrared heating panels are very affordable! You could replace all your storage heater units at once or you can replace them room by room according to your budget. Contact us today to get a detailed consultation and a cost estimate.

How to remove storage heaters safely

The pollutant asbestos can regularly be found in storage heaters, which were manufactured before 1984. If there is any damage or defect to the heater there is a risk that asbestos fibers are released which in turn could be inhaled causing major damage in the human body such as lung cancer or asbestosis.  So please do not disassemble your storage heater by yourself as you could damage and risk your and your family’s health! We advise you to hire a specialist instead to dispose of and replace your storage heater so that asbestos fibers cannot get into the air.

Other hazardous materials that can be found in storage heaters are, for example, artificial mineral fibers (before 1989), carcinogenic PCBs (before 2000) or chromates. These materials are highly hazardous to health and environment and should, therefore, be disposed of by authorized companies only. These often dispose of storage heaters in full and don’t disassemble them wrapping them in an air-tight foil so that no harmful substances can enter the air and your home. The cost for the disposal of the storage heater is borne by the owner and averages on approx. 100 to 230 Euro per heating unit. Nonetheless not replacing storage heaters will probably cost you more in the long run.