- Find the perfect Heater or Radiator for your needs on Klarstein
- Choose your Heater: convection vs radiant heating?
- How does an Infrared Heater work?
- How does a Convection Heater work?
- Other important features to consider before buying a Heater or Radiator
Find the perfect Heater or Radiator for your needs on Klarstein
Indoor comfort is paramount both at home and your office, to carry out your activities pleasantly. Therefore, maintaining the correct temperature is the first aspect to be taken into account, especially during the coldest periods; in certain situations, the lack of heating can cause great inconvenience. That’s when an electric heater can come quite handy.
In Klarstein’s online shop you’ll find a wide assortment of electric stoves, designed to offer top performance and low consumption, combined with attractive designs fitting your furniture. Depending on the room to heat, convection or infrared heating devices may be more efficient. If you are not familiar with how these devices work, we provide you with some useful information, which will help you to make the best choice. Let us inspire you with our technological solutions, ensuring that your home is always warm and comfortable.
Choose your Heater: convection vs radiant heating?
Infrared heaters and electric convection heaters are two valid alternatives to traditional heating systems. Although they share the same purpose, they are based on conceptually different operating principles.
From an aesthetic and constructive point of view, they also differ clearly from each other. While radiant panels have a minimal thickness and are installed on the wall as if they were pictures, an electric convector is bulkier and similar to the structure of an electric stove or air conditioner. Radiant panels use infrared rays that heat the body directly and not the surrounding air, whereas a convector stove, on the other hand, is equipped with electric heaters that heat the air and diffuse the heat by convection.
How does an Infrared Heater work?
The structure of an infrared heater consists of a steel support frame with polymeric coating and one (or more) panels made of different materials, like ceramic, glass, metal but also marble or natural stone. The heating element, which usually consists of a magnesite sheet placed between two main components: the power is supplied through the domestic electrical network, while an electronic control unit modulates the power, and the heat is diffused by radiation.
The heating element, once the electricity runs through it, transfers the heat to the surface panel, which will begin to radiate it in the form of infrared rays. This electromagnetic radiation is not visible to the human eye; it heats the surface of the bodies it encounters on its path but not the air, allowing for greater efficiency, reduced heat loss and therefore more targeted heating. For temperature adjustment, a temperature controller allows selecting the desired power, usually through a display to set the main parameters.
Some of our infrared heaters offer remote control capabilities through the brand new Klarstein App. Once installed and connected to your heater, the app allows you to set the desired temperature and create operating programs weekly, in just a few taps on your smartphone screen.
How does a Convection Heater work?
In this case, the convection heater relies on the convective currents that push the hot air upwards and the cooler air downwards. Most electric heaters generate the heat with a temperature regulated thermostat or by digital controls, which can be more or less sophisticated depending on the model. The hot air coming out from the air vents is forcibly diffused through fans to reach all the points in the room.
Other important features to consider before buying a Heater or Radiator
- Heater power and consumption:
Electric convector heaters are available in different sizes to meet different needs. The larger the size of the room to be heated, the higher the number of Watts available, the higher the consumption. Low-end convector heaters have power ratings of around 500 Watt, up to the most performing 2000 Watt models. If used for many hours a day, it will have a significant impact on your electricity bill. To overcome this problem, manufacturers devised technical measures to optimize consumption. Top-of-the-range products adjust the power according to the ambient temperature detected, while others feature Eco mode to use when required.
Infrared heaters generally have lower power ratings that vary between 300 and 800 Watts. The best models feature electronic control units that can be easily programmed to obtain the desired heating while reducing consumption. To give an example: a 500 Watt panel ensures satisfactory results in small rooms (maximum 20 square meters).
It is impossible to state that one system is cheaper than the other. In any case, other factors also affect heating costs such as, for example, the quality of the thermal insulation of the house, which is responsible for a large part of consumption, regardless of the type of heating system you are using. - Noise level:
Infrared heaters do not emit any noise as they don’t use fans to make the air circulate. This makes them suitable for use in all rooms where you need adequate heating and silence. - Living comfort:
Another point in favour of radiant panels is the best living comfort they provide. Compared to a convector heater, the diffusion of heat is homogeneous in the whole room, creating a pleasant sensation of warmth without annoying changes in temperature between low areas and high areas. - Aesthetics:
From this point of view, the winner is without any doubt the infrared heater. Its construction form and type of installation are elements that ensure high aesthetic performance. The reduced thickness, around 15 millimetres, and the wall mounting capabilities make for perfect integration with the domestic environment. Some models are so thin and flexible that they can be rolled up, and it is not uncommon to find variations with high definition prints on the visible surface.
Infrared heaters can also be customised with more aesthetic motifs and finishes and can be hung like a picture to heat small rooms. Other models are very similar to mirrors and are perfect for the bathroom. The continuous technological advance is leading to electric convection heaters with extremely reduced size - especially in terms of thickness - and with modern designs offering an aesthetically pleasing overall look. - Versatility of use:
You can find portable convection heaters equipped with feet and wheels to carry them in any room of the house. Other models have a fixed installation and in some cases offer both possibilities, if wheels are removable and a wall-mounting kit is used. In most cases infrared heaters can be mounted on the wall, although smaller models can be comfortably transported by hand, heating small rooms or specific points in the house.