Heat pumps have been in the news a lot lately, and when properly installed they make for a for a fabulously efficient and futureproof method of heating your home. However, they’re not the only option, and for a lot of homes IR Heating could be a far more practical choice.

Why Are Heat Pumps Great?

There are loads of brilliant advantages that heat pumps can bring into your home. They’re much safer than combustion systems and can massively reduce your carbon emissions thanks to their efficient conversion rate of energy to heat.

This also leads to them being much cheaper to run compared to convection boilers, which is an important futureproofing concern in an age of rising energy costs!

If you can afford the cost of upgrading to a heat pump, it’s definitely worth considering. If you’re looking into a new build home, installing a heat pump, or one coming already included should be considered a major selling point!

But if you can’t afford the upgrade, or it’s not a practical option in your home there are loads of advantages that IR Heaters have that make them a great alternative choice. We’re taking a look at some of them!

Cost Effectiveness

Retrofitting an older home to use a heat pump, especially those with poorer insulation, can be a difficult decision. A heat pump could set you back anywhere between £2000-£15,000, which can be prohibitively expensive for many people, even if they qualify for grants.

By contrast, even the priciest IR Panels are much more affordable to the average person, with ours starting from as little as £74.99. Naturally, you’ll more than likely need more than one panel for your home, but this will still work out much cheaper than a heat pump.

The money you save on this can be used to improve your home heating in other areas- such as by ensuring your home is properly insulated. Alternatively, you could invest in renewable energy sources, such as solar panels, which will help you save a fortune in the long term.

This means that if you do then decide to invest in a heat pump down the line, your home will be adequately prepared for it.

With that said, if you were to use IR Panels to heat your entire home, this could quickly get quite expensive, same as if you were using a more traditional convection space heater even in rooms you aren’t using. IR heating heats objects, not air, so it’s most effective when you’re in the room with your panels.

Instead, if you’re looking to save money, you should use IR heaters to create distinct temperature zones that you switch on independently of each other as you need them. Heat pumps are better for more general home heating, while IR panels are fantastic when used for specific purposes.

Installation

Installing a heat pump is a very time-consuming and expensive process, and it will absolutely require multiple specialised experts- it’s not a DIY job!

However, at the end of this process you’ll have a powerful and efficient system that can heat your entire house and even provide air conditioning in the summer, so while it’s very much a large investment in time and money, the results are well worth it.

IR Panels are much simpler to install. You plug them in and they’ll start producing heat! You can also install them on your wall in much the same way as you would hang a painting. You won’t need to tear out your old heating system, they can coexist with other systems easily.

In fact, they’ll also happily coexist with a heat pump, so if you want to install one down the line, having IR heaters won’t make the process more complicated.

You can take an extra step and have them wired into your mains power supply if you like, although this will require a qualified electrician. This step is, however, entirely optional and is more often a matter of style.

Maintenance

Heat pumps are complicated bits of equipment, and they need to be properly looked after to ensure they’re safe and operating at peak efficiency. They have a lot of moving parts which results in wear and tear.

They’re much more durable than traditional combustion systems, but there’s still a chance of occasional problems over their 50-year lifespan, so they’ll require maintenance and servicing.

IR Heaters require absolutely zero maintenance once they’re plugged in, beyond an occasional wipe down to keep the surface free from dust. They have expected lifespans of about 30 years, and can be completely recycled and easily replaced when they do stop working. It really is that simple.

If you combine a heat pump with an IR heating system, then you can rest easy knowing that should something go wrong, you have an effective and efficient back up ready to go!

Style

In the grand scheme of things, this is a minor consideration, but it’s still important to know!

Heat pumps are a fantastically efficient method of heating, but they are quite noisy and not particularly good looking. IR Heaters, by contrast run completely silently. They’re incredibly slender and very discrete- many people don’t realise they’re heaters until it’s pointed out to them!

You can also use IR Heaters to make your own unique style statements- there are a range of different designs to choose from. From image panels and custom prints that can have artwork printed on them, to sleek and elegant glass panels, to subtle mirror panels, the interior design possibilities are endless!

Summing Up

Heat pumps are a fantastic eco-friendly heating option for many homes- especially in new builds designed to take full advantage of them from the outset. It is also worth noting that IR heating cannot be used to create hot water, so it should always be used in conjunction with another system.

But if you can’t afford to retrofit, that doesn’t mean you should have to go without some efficient green heating!

IR Heaters can make for a fantastic stop-gap, allowing you to futureproof your home and enjoy green energy for less! You can easily combine them with other home improvements due to their low cost, making for a truly eco-friendly home. They also coexist brilliantly with heat pumps, so it doesn't have to be an either/or decision, you can use both!

Want to find out more? Give our team a call today on 0116 321 4124 or send us an email at sales@suryaheating.co.uk.

You can also check out our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for some inspiration or head over to our YouTube channel to learn more about Infrared Heating.