Herschel has the largest range of infrared heating panels in the UK, which comes as no surprise since they’re one of the longest-serving UK suppliers. The Princess is a great option that won’t break the bank – and, at just 350 watts, it’s cheap to run, too. If you don't want a tabletop patio heater cluttering your dining surface then the Swan Column Patio Heater is a great freestanding option that can heat faces and torsos when users are seated but is also tall enough to warm a group who are standing up. If you opt for a freestanding or wall hung patio heater then a remote control can also come in useful so you don't have to get up and down from your seat to adjust the heat. In this article, I will explain the difference between quartz heaters, carbon infrared heaters, and IR panels. I will discuss their:

Of course, this is only relevant if you don’t want the air temperature in the house to rise. If you are warming the room with conventional heating at the same time, you are simply aiding it, and no energy will be wasted. If you find that these panels aren’t for you for some reason, the company also offers a 60-day cooling-off period, where you can return them for free. DeskClimate can provide significant energy savings of up to 40% too. Room temperature can be significantly reduced (especially in the autumn and winter), usually from 24°C to 19°C. Space heating has to heat the entire room (e.g. 75 m³), while DeskClimate only warms one person at their workstation (~1.5 m³).

Foibles aside, this is an exceptional heater that’s marginally more energy-efficient and much more capable of distributing heat than an oil-filled model. Therefore, we have no compunction in giving it a solid recommendation. It offered good heat distribution in our tests, and its generous size and tall design made it a great option for keeping standing guests warm at an outdoor gathering. Plus, it looks good, with its high borosilicate glass tube and visible gas flame creating a real focal point as dusk draws in, and needing less active maintenance than a wood-burning fire pit. We then decided to break this analysis into six areas that we believe users value the most when it comes to buying an infrared panel: It's IP44 rated which means it's waterproof enough to be left outside all year round – obviously an essential feature as once mounted with the included fixing kit, this patio heater isn't portable. However, that does mean that once it's in place you don't have the hassle of dragging a freestanding patio heater in and out of storage if rain clouds loom.

It offers two heat settings – either 600W or 1200W in the larger model – thanks to its two independently controlled heating elements, and also comes equipped with oscillating modes that enable the heater to rotate through 360° or 120° to warm multiple users in turn. Plus, there's a handy built-in automatic switch-off function should the patio heater tip over.A quartz heater is an electric heater that produces infrared (IR) radiation to provide warmth. Quartz heaters are available as indoor space heaters, outdoor patio heaters, or a heater designed for industrial purposes. Infrared heaters made with marble are fast gaining popularity, because of this material’s remarkable heat-retaining and distribution properties, along with the ability to remain warm for quite a while after being turned off. Some portable, stand-mounted models, such as the Klarstein HeatPal we review below, use raw, unpolished marble to help radiate the heat generated by the internal coil, while companies such as Elith produce beautifully polished slabs of high-quality marble with infrared coils behind them. Polished marble panel heaters aren’t cheap to buy or install, but they’re unquestionably the most elegant way to heat a home.