In the chilly early days of a wintery March, with frost still threatening and temperatures struggling to rise above 5˚C, two newly born calves arrived in the world with a mother too sick to care for them. The tiny animals – shivering, not yet able to walk – were alone, with no source of warmth for the cold nights and windy days. The chances of survival were slim…
This was the nightmare faced by one of our customers on their farm last month. The harsh and unpredictable British winter weather often strikes blows to UK farmers and their animals – but the recent purchase of an infrared heating panel provided our customer with a unique solution.
With the farmer’s quick thinking, the calves were moved to a cosy, straw-lined corner of a large barn. Wooden struts were carefully laid across the hay bales, the panel heater was screwed into place and plugged into an extension cable. The calves were bottle-fed and settled to sleep, bathed in the natural warmth of infrared heat. Two little lives saved, quickly and easily.
This story warmed the hearts of everybody at the Infrared Heaters Direct office last month. But it was also a striking reminder of the versatility of our heaters and their suitability for so many different settings.
Infrared Heaters are perfectly suited for the varied and often challenging heating needs of farms – whether private working estates or attractions open to the public. Their superiority comes down to their versatility. There’s something for every setting, with heaters specially designed to operate efficiently in hard-to-heat areas. There are installation options to suit every situation – however awkward the space. There are limitless design options, with styles to suit your every need – whether you just need something to keep your chickens warm or you want something more aesthetically pleasing for your human clientele. Take a look at just a few of the ways you could use infrared heaters on your farm…
For Your Animals
We know there are many situations in farming where the ability to manage temperature could make a real difference for your animals – and for your business. But we also know how difficult this can be when you’re dealing with outdoor, draughty or high-ceilinged areas. Barns, paddocks, chicken sheds and pens do not lend themselves easily to temperature control, and can be so expensive to heat that innovative ventures are no longer viable.
But that’s where infrared can make a difference. Firstly, infrared heat can overcome many of the difficulties associated with draughts and heat loss because it is a form of directed heat, like the heat from the sun. Whereas convection radiators warm spaces by heating the air – which quickly escapes in draughty settings and quickly needs topping up – infrared heaters heat directly with radiated heat. In the same way that the sun keeps you warm despite the temperature of the air, infrared panels heat whatever is in front of them with hardly any wasted heat. It’s by far the most efficient way to heat outdoor, large or open plan spaces.
With extensive installation options available for all our products, we challenge you to find a setting which we cannot heat! We stock heaters in all sizes, with weatherproof heaters suitable for outdoor installation and heaters which can be mounted on the wall, installed free-standing, fitted in the ceiling or even suspended from chains! Perfect for high ceilinged barns! And of course, as with all our electric heating products, it’s much easier and cheaper to install electric heating than gas central heating. Imagine the expense and hassle of extending your plumbing to serve every barn, hutch and shed on your property! Infrared heaters simply plug into the mains – all you need is an electric connection.
You could use infrared heating to keep newborn, ill or orphaned animals warm and cosy – just as our customer did. Outdoor heaters can be a useful tool at this time of the year if you’re bringing indoor-reared animals outdoors for the first time. An infrared heater mounted at the edge of a field can give young animals a cosy retreat if they are finding it difficult to adjust to variable outdoor conditions. The excitement of the outdoor world is sure to tempt them away in no time – but it’s a great way to ease the transition. The possibilities of efficient farm heating can also play a factor in big decisions which affect your profits and the day-to-day running of your farm. You may have found that scheduling lambing season for a colder month in the year has the potential to yield more competitive meat prices – but been put off by the logistical difficulty and expense of keeping young lambs warm throughout the winter. Infrared heating gives you an efficient, affordable solution.
For Your Customers
Infrared heating isn’t just great for animals. If your farm doubles as a local attraction, an activity centre or an educational charity, you’ll have a steady stream of visitors to keep warm in hard-to-heat farmyard buildings.
Maybe you use a draughty repurposed barn as an education centre, or as a venue for local film nights or comedy evenings. Maybe your outdoor café would be even more popular if your customers could enjoy the views without the outdoor chill. Perhaps you hold summer barbecues, fairs or parties and need a heating solution for the cooler evenings. The efficiency of infrared in outdoor and draughty locations makes our heaters the perfect choice.
You could even take advantage of the extensive design options of our designer panels to make your heaters into attractive features. If you use your barn as a wedding venue, you’ll want more stylish electric panels which complement the rustic décor. You could order a panel with a coloured glass front, a mirror panel, or a panel printed with a picture. How about a picture of some of your most popular animals, a photograph of the view over your land or a map of the farmyard buildings?
We hope the story of the young calves will inspire other farmers and managers of countryside ventures to consider infrared for their properties. We know that heating outdoors comes with many obstacles – but we’re even more confident that the versatility and efficiency of infrared heaters makes them perfect for the job. We’ve enjoyed helping save the lives of two young calves – let’s see what we can do for the rest of your farm!