How Ceramic Heating Differs From Infrared and Convector Heating

Three words you will constantly hear when shopping for a space heater are ceramic, infrared and convection. Each will offer you comfort and efficiency, but they don’t all heat in the same way. One style might be more efficient in small enclosed rooms. Others might be better options for large rooms with high ceilings, or drafty areas. Before purchasing a space heater to keep your home or office warm this winter, it helps you to know how each style functions. Below we will break down ceramic heating, infrared heating, and convector heating so you can make the best choice for your space. How Ceramic Heating Works A ceramic warmer has a heating element consisting of ceramic plates attached to metal coils or PTC ceramic blocks. Electricity runs through the coils or ceramic, heating the element. A fan then blows air over the heated surface into the room. Fundamentals of ceramic heating: It heats air through convection. Heated ceramic plates/fins heat air around them. A fan draws air across the element and blows it into the room. The heat raises the temperature of the air in the room over time. Ceramic heaters rely on warm air convection currents to heat efficiently. This makes them ideal for smaller to medium sized enclosed spaces. Bedrooms, offices, and living rooms are common examples. These heaters aim to provide uniform room heat rather than intense heat in one location. Most ceramic heaters use what is called a PTC ceramic element. PTC means the ceramic element self-regulates by increasing resistance as it heats up. This prevents the element from overheating and helps the heater provide a comfortable amount of heat consistently. How Infrared Heating Works Unlike ceramic heaters, infrared heaters don’t primarily heat air. Instead, they use infrared radiation to produce heat. That same warmth you feel when you stand near a fire? That’s infrared radiation at work. When you turn on an infrared heater, it produces infrared waves which then pass through air but are absorbed by any solid surfaces they meet on floors, walls, furniture, equipment, and people. Characteristics of infrared heating: It produces heat via radiation instead of convection. The infrared waves pass through air without heating it significantly. Any solid objects (and people) that absorb the infrared radiation will heat up. Heat can be instantaneous where the infrared rays are emitted. Directly heating objects and people means infrared heaters are ideal for: Large rooms or rooms with high ceilings. Areas that get a lot of drafts or are open. Garages, workshops, warehouses, outdoor patios/ lounge areas. One major benefit of infrared heating is that it doesn’t require air to function well. While an open door or vent might suck heated air right out of a ceramic heater, infrared radiation will keep shining past it and warming the objects in your space. This can make infrared heaters much more efficient in environments where heat loss would be an issue with other heaters. How Convector Heating Works? At their core, convector heaters are all about moving warm air around. They pull cool air in across a heating element (usually metal coils or ceramic plates), which warms that air. NHS noted that as the warmed air naturally rises, it then circulates through the room. Fans or blowers can assist in moving this air faster. Here are some of the most important aspects of convector heating: It distributes heat through convection currents. Air is pulled in, warmed by the element, and blown out. This creates a constant loop of warm air circulating through your space. These types of heaters are typically used for whole house or building heating systems, like forced air furnaces. Real world examples of convector heaters tend to be ceramic space heaters. These heaters use a convector method of pulling cool air in, heating it up over a ceramic element, and blowing it back out. “Convector” typically refers to any air-based heater while “ceramic” refers to the material of the element inside. Ceramic vs Infrared Heating Now that we know how each system works. Let’s compare ceramic heating to infrared heating based on common uses: How they produce heat Ceramic heaters use heated ceramic elements to warm air (convection). Infrared heaters produce infrared light that heats objects and people directly (radiation). How quickly you feel heat With infrared heaters, you can feel the heat almost instantly on your skin. Ceramic heaters take longer to heat an entire room, but can still effectively heat small spaces. Ideal space to use in Ceramic heaters are better for smaller rooms that don’t have drafts. Infrared heaters are great for big, drafty, or high ceiling rooms. Efficiency/savings If you open a door or have a draft in your room, a ceramic heater will lose its heat quickly. Infrared heaters send heat directly to objects, so they can provide comfort using less power in some situations. Effects on air quality/noise Ceramic heaters use fans which can stir up dust and make noise. Infrared heaters are typically quieter and don’t impact the air in your room. Ceramic vs Convector Heating Ceramic and convection heaters are similar, but have key differences in application: Heating element Ceramic heaters are made of ceramic. Convector heaters can be made of metal coils/fins, or ceramic. Heat production and retention Ceramic produces heat more evenly and retains it longer after the heater is turned off. Generic convector heaters can produce uneven heat and lose heat faster. Ideal applications Ceramic heaters are small, portable and meant to heat people in a small area. Convector heaters are generally larger and meant to heat a whole room for longer periods of time. Again, ceramic convection heaters are some of the most common heater type because they use a convector method of heating with a ceramic element. Ceramic helps the heater run more efficiently and produce even heat, while convection takes care of distributing that heat. Real World Example: Infrared Heating for Large Spaces and Open Rooms We’ve covered the theory of how ceramic, infrared and convection heaters work. To see how it applies to real world heating scenarios, consider infrared heating in large spaces or rooms. Large, open or intermittently occupied areas like workshops, warehouses and industrial facilities can benefit from radiant infrared heating. Why? Well let’s look at a real world example… Example: Using Infrared Heating in Large Areas and Open Rooms Tansun makes industrial infrared heaters which are designed for warehouse, factory, workshop and large commercial space heating applications. Our infrared heaters use radiant heat, not just warmed air. This is important when heating large volumes of space. A traditional convection heater warms up the air around it. But in a big building, that warm air can rise up to the ceiling or escape through doors and other gaps. If workers are spaced out across a large workshop or if people only use one area of a warehouse, then continuously heating all that air can be inefficient. How does infrared heating compare? Infrared radiant energy passes through the air until it’s absorbed by objects (people, floors, equipment) in its path. There’s no need to heat all the air in a room before people start to feel warm. Instead, infrared heaters can make you feel warm relatively quickly under or in front of the heater without heating the entire room. If a warehouse is only occupied in one area, infrared heating can be directed towards that area. Ceramic heaters will still heat the air everywhere. Infrared heating is great for spot heating or zone heating. While infrared heaters aren’t inherently more efficient than ceramic heaters or convection heaters, this example illustrates how radiant heat can benefit certain applications. Want to learn more about infrared heating for industrial applications? Visit Tansun’s infrared heating page for more information. https://www.tansun.com/technical/how-does-infrared-heating-work/ Answering your heating questions… What is the difference between ceramic, infrared and convection heating? Ceramic heaters and convection heaters use heated air to warm people and rooms. Infrared heaters use radiant energy. Is a ceramic heater a convection heater? In many cases, yes. Ceramic fan heaters are usually convection heaters that have a ceramic heating element. Are ceramic heaters better than infrared heaters? Both can be useful, depending on the situation. A ceramic heater may be better for enclosed rooms while infrared heating is useful in large, drafty spaces. Which type of heater heats a room fastest? Infrared heaters will make you feel warm the fastest. Ceramic heaters and convection heaters need to heat the air around them before the entire room is warm. Do infrared heaters heat the air? Indirectly, yes. While infrared heaters use radiant heat, they will eventually warm the air in a room. First the infrared heater will warm up surfaces which then heat the air. Are infrared heaters better for high ceilings? In many cases, yes. A convection heater will produce warm air, which rises to the ceiling. An infrared heater will warm you and objects directly without heating the entire air volume in a room. Are ceramic heaters good for bedrooms? Many people like to use ceramic fan heaters in bedrooms. They heat up quickly and can be easily controlled with a thermostat. Remember to follow all safety instructions when using portable heaters. Which heater is best for a large room? Infrared heaters can be great for large rooms. However, if it’s a well-insulated closed room, a convection heater may work well. Which heater is best for a garage or workshop? An infrared heater can be a good choice for workshops/garages to provide radiant heat. A ceramic heater may also work well if you’re looking to heat the air in a smaller enclosed workshop. Are ceramic heaters more energy efficient than infrared heaters? Not necessarily. Ceramic heaters and infrared heaters can both be energy efficient. How they deliver heat is different, which can make a difference in certain situations. Do infrared heaters work better in drafty rooms? In many cases, yes. Since infrared heaters don’t rely on heated air remaining in the room to create comfort, drafts have less of an impact. However, drafts can still make you feel cooler. Do ceramic heaters make the air feel dry? Typically no. Ceramic heaters do not remove moisture from the air. However, when you heat air, it can hold more moisture which may result in lower humidity levels. Are infrared heaters quieter than ceramic heaters? In most cases. Since many infrared heaters do not have a fan, they can operate quietly. Ceramic heaters with fans will produce some noise when the fan is running. Do ceramic heaters circulate dust? Yes, if it has a fan. Ceramic heaters with fans can draw dust into the heater. You can help prevent this by keeping the heater’s intake and filter areas clean. What is natural convection heating? Natural convection is the process of warm air rising and displacing cooler air in a room without the use of a fan. What is forced convection heating? Forced convection is a process where a fan helps to distribute warm air from a heating element. Does ceramic retain heat longer than a convection heater? It depends on the heater. Ceramic refers to the material used in the heating element. Convection refers to how the heat is moved around. Can one heater use both ceramic and convection technology? Yes. Most PTC ceramic fan heaters use convection to distribute heat. Which type of heater is best for an office? A small enclosed office can work well with a ceramic fan heater. If you want to feel warm at your desk and don’t mind not heating the entire room, an infrared heater can be a good choice too. Which heating technology should I choose? There’s no simple answer, but it doesn’t hurt to start with your space. If you want to heat an entire enclosed room, start by looking at ceramic heaters or convection heaters. Infrared heaters are a great choice for larger spaces, high ceilings, rooms with drafts or applications where you want to heat specific areas. Consider room size, insulation, drafts, ceiling height, room occupancy and whether you need to heat the entire space or not. How to Choose the Right Space Heater? When shopping for space warmers, you’ll come across three common types: ceramic heaters, infrared heaters, and convection heaters. Ceramic heaters use heated ceramic elements to warm air, which then heats your space. Infrared heaters don’t really heat the air. They produce infrared light that is absorbed by objects and people. Convector heaters are all about air circulation, pulling cool air in and blowing warmer air out. All three can help heat your home or office. But by knowing the strengths and disadvantages of each, you can pick the best space heater for your needs.