I'm thinking about replacing my old heating system. I've heard a lot about infrared heaters - they say they're more efficient and warmer. But I don't get whether it makes sense to redo everything or if it's just marketing hype? I live in the Moscow Region, and my house is old and made of brick.
I have regular radiators in my house, and I wouldn't rush to replace them completely with infrared heaters - they're different systems with different logic. IR heaters work in a targeted way, warming objects and people in their direct line of sight rather than the air throughout the whole room, so they're good for a garage, porch, or supplemental heating, but not for the main heating of a house.
For the Moscow region and a brick house this is especially important: radiators heat the air evenly, and the walls gradually accumulate heat, which reduces heat loss. IR heaters simply won't warm up a room in such cold if you remove the radiators completely - it'll be cold wherever the heater isn't shining. Plus if the electricity goes out, you'll have no heat at all.
If the house is old and the system is completely worn out, replace the radiators with new modern ones - they're more economical than old cast-iron ones, but without redoing the main system setup. Then connect the IR heaters as a supplement if you need to.
Infrared heaters consume electricity like crazy if you're trying to heat your entire house with them! Marketing works overtime here: yes, they heat up fast and feel nice, but completely replacing radiators in a brick house in the Moscow region is a recipe for financial disaster. Here's what I recommend: keep your radiators as the base system, and install IR heaters strategically in the rooms where you spend the most time - you'll get both savings and comfort. Radiators work as a constant backdrop, maintaining baseline temperature, and you turn on the infrared heater when you're sitting in an armchair with a book or working at your desk - warmth exactly where you need it, without overpaying for heating the entire volume of air!
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