If you own or manage a period property, you’ll know that trying to provide comfort heating is a two-pronged challenge. Not only are historical houses often draughty, high-ceilinged and poorly-insulated, with large open spaces to heat; they are also aesthetically sensitive spaces where you have to be careful about the type of heaters you choose. Staying faithful to the period and choosing historical heating solutions can help you maintain the period aesthetic – but at the price of poor efficiency, inadequate heating levels and unsustainable heating bills. A better solution is to use modern heaters which can be disguised or fitted discretely. But where on the heating market can you find ultra-slim line heaters which can be fitted almost invisibly whilst still providing energy efficient and economical comfort heating? Infrared panels are the answer – perfectly adapted to meet both the technical and aesthetical challenges of heating a period home.
Infrared heating is ideally suited to heating large and draughty spaces because, unlike gas central heating radiators and electric panel heaters, infrared panels heat purely by radiation. Infrared radiation is the form of heat given off by the sun: waves of heat move directly from the panel to people and objects in the room, providing comfortable heat like the warmth of the sun with minimal heat loss through draughts and the circulation of air. This is much more efficient than using radiators or panel heaters which rely on heating by convection – heating by warming the air – because you need very powerful heaters to effectively heat the large volume of air found in high-ceilinged spaces, and warm air is easily lost through draughts and windows. Radiant heaters overcome this challenge to provide one of the most economical heating solutions for large and draughty spaces.
When it comes to meeting the aesthetic challenges of heating a period building, infrared panels provide a choice of heating strategies: heating discretely or heating in disguise.
Discrete Infrared Heating
Infrared heating panels are uniquely discrete. With an ultra slim depth of 2mm they sit flush to the walls, making minimal intrusion into the room. The slimness of the panels makes them easy to hide in the nooks and crannies of a period property, fitting unobtrusively into alcoves, shelves and half-walls. Our Prestyl infrared heating panel range includes heaters designed to fit beneath desks and under church pews – creating efficient, invisible zones of heating ideal for historic libraries and period churches. The most reliable way to make your heating so discrete it’s almost invisible is to fit your infrared panel heaters on the ceiling – ideal in corridors, hallways and drawing rooms.
At Infrared Heaters Direct you’ll find a range of infrared panels with discrete designs ideal for subtle heating in period homes. The white infrared panels found in our Prestyl, Herschel Select and Herschel Inspire ranges are arguably the most discrete, providing blank canvases which blend seamlessly into white painted walls or stand out without overwhelming the period décor on open stone walls. Our white Herschel panels are even available with a towel rail, providing an option for a traditionally designed bathroom. It’s often the case in a period property that employing unavoidable mod-cons which are more obviously contemporary can be less jarring than trying to use appliances which attempt to blend in. You can avoid the embarrassment of a badly concealed anachronism by using an openly modern heating system which “owns” its place in the 21st century without disturbing the historical character. If that’s your strategy you might want to try one of our coloured glass panels – available in several subtle shades with a smooth design which looks sophisticated without drawing attention.
Infrared Heating in Disguise
An alternative strategy made possible with infrared panels is to disguise your heating – with infrared heating panels built into mirrors and pictures. An infrared mirror panel is a great way to disguise your heating. People often don’t look too closely at a mirror – they’re far too busy looking in to it! A mirror never looks out of place in a bathroom, hallway or living room, and if you slip the heater behind a frame appropriate to the period you can provide thorough-going comfort heating without any reference to the 21st century in your design scheme.
Another way to disguise your heating is to customise your infrared panels with a printed picture. You could enhance a historic property with artwork from the period. Obviously you’re not going to fool anyone into thinking your ceramic panel is a 15th century oil-painting, but with 2mm thickness and a neat square shape, infrared panels look just like modern canvases! A great choice for a retro, art deco or post-modern buildings. If you prefer to use only authentic artworks in your property, you could think outside the box and adapt your design to serve a practical purpose. If your period property is open to the public you could make your heater into a map of the facilities or an information board, or a print of the grounds as they were in the 18th century.
It’s arguably impossible to renovate and live in a period property without mixing the character a little with your own: so why not embrace that with your heating? Think of your heaters as 21st century notes in the margin – helping you interpret the building, rather than pretending to be part of it: symbolic of our own relationship with the past. For more information about our cutting edge infrared panels speak to our expert sales team today. Call us on 0330 880 8383.
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Eco Stores Direct are here to bring you the very latest energy news, views and opinions from across the UK. They are also suppliers of energy efficient electric heating solutions and are constantly assessing the market for the best products and the latest ground-breaking technology which they think will make a real difference to their customer’s homes. Eco Stores Direct are devoted to helping you reduce your carbon footprint and bring down your energy bills and they work hard to raise awareness of energy efficient products that can make all the difference. If you’re interested in outdoor patio heaters or slimline infrared panels, call Infrared Heaters Direct today on 0330 300 8383 for a free assessment.