How does Infra-red heating compare to in-floor radiant slab heating?
In the typical environment that Infra-red heating is commonly found in, Infra-red has notable benefits over in-floor slab heating. The heat recovery has proved to be be very slow in a commercial building with in-floor radiant slab heating. This is due to the only heat source is the slab itself. Infra-red has the added benefit of additionally heated thermal masses throughout the building including machinery, tools, vehicles, etc. People benefit directly from the comfort of Infra-red, not having to wait for the air temperature to return to a certain comfort level after doors have been opened. Infra-red heating can be used on demand. At several points throughout the year, Infra-red heaters can remain off & when turned on comfort is gained within minutes. In-floor heating takes several hours to overcome a cold building. Finally, the initial installed system cost is many times greater with in-floor compared to an economical Infra-red system.
