Infrared heating is the most efficient way to heat your home. It doesn’t use convection like most conventional heaters do, which is a waste of energy.
Infrared works by transferring thermal energy, which is emitted by various materials or objects based on their temperature. This energy does not require the molecules around it to move and can travel through air, objects, or even a vacuum.
Radiation
To astrophysicists, infrared radiation is a kind of energy that can be emitted by hot stars or planets and that can reveal objects in the universe that cannot be seen in the visible spectrum. Infrared radiation can also be detected by instruments onboard Earth observing satellites.
Infrared is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that spans from 0.5 to 100 um, just beyond the red end of the visible light range. It can be used for a number of scientific purposes, including spectroscopy and imaging.
During heating, molecules tend to absorb infrared radiation at a particular wavelength and then heat up. When this happens, it is called “radiative heating”.
Infrared heating has several applications, including curing of coatings, forming of plastics, annealing, and printing drying. This type of heating is commonly found in industrial manufacturing processes and can be applied to a variety of materials, including metals, glass, and wood. In addition, it is often used in food processing.
Conduction
Infrared heating works based on conduction, the transfer of heat between materials through contact. It happens when fast or vigorously moving particles in a material bump into slow or less energetic ones.
When the two particles in contact move, they wiggle and vibrate, creating kinetic energy. This energy can flow from one side of the material to the other, until the two materials reach thermal equilibrium and no more conduction occurs, Check out the post right here.
This process is called heat conduction and it takes place in all kinds of substances. It is especially common in solids and liquids, where the particles are closer together than in gases.
There are three main ways that heat moves from one place to another: conduction, radiation and convection. Radiation is different to conduction and convection in that it involves the transfer of electromagnetic waves, which do not need a medium to generate.
Convection
Convection is a process by which heat is transferred via movement of a heated fluid. This can happen naturally, which is referred to as “natural convection”, or it can be forced.
Natural convection is the result of the buoyant force caused by the difference in densities of hot and cold air or water. This causes the hot, less dense air to rise and cool, replacing it with the colder, denser air.
It’s also how the sun heats up the Earth’s surface, and how ocean currents distribute heat around the world. In addition, convection can cause large wind currents in the atmosphere.
Convection also plays a role in passive ventilation, causing air to move around the room. This can be achieved by using a fan or by allowing the air to pass through vents in the walls.
Thermostat
Thermostats are used to control heating or cooling devices, ensuring they reach the desired temperature. They can be a digital controller that is directly attached to the heating panel’s power supply or a separate wireless thermostat that measures the temperature in a room.
Traditional thermostats have a metal strip that runs through the circuit between the heater and the mains plug. When the strip is hot, it expands slightly. Sooner or later, the strip bends and breaks the circuit.
A thermostat with a timer is ideal for use in rooms such as offices that aren’t used during specific hours of the day. It switches the heater on and off according to fixed times of the day, thereby saving energy.
Summary:
Infrared heating can also be used as the main heating system in modern buildings with good insulation standards. As a result, it reduces operating costs in the long term.
