In the chilly world of warehouse management, maintaining optimal temperatures can be a constant battle. It’s important to keep your warehouse heated to keep your employees and products at a comfortable temperature. Effective warehouse heating solutions ensure that your goods remain unspoiled and your staff can work comfortably, enhancing overall productivity. It can be difficult to determine where to start when it comes to finding the best way to heat your warehouse, as there are a few different options to choose from. Traditional heating methods often fall short, leaving workers shivering and energy bills soaring. But what if there was a solution that could revolutionise warehouse heating, providing efficient warmth while slashing operational costs?
Enter infrared heating — the revolutionary method that is changing the nature of warehouse heating. Infrared heaters heat up objects and people in the room (rather than wasting energy heating up the air found in larger volumes) delivering the most incredible, comfortable experience with exceptional energy efficiency. Such a system contributes not only to a comfortable space but can offer significant energy savings – making this a more prevalent solution amongst warehouse managers.
Types of Heating
When it comes to efficient warehouse heating solutions, there are two primary options: traditional warm air heaters and infrared heaters.
Warm Air Heaters
Warm air heating is as the name suggests; the heating system warms the air around the heater which will then warm the people and products in the surrounding area. The air is usually distributed by a fan so it can reach all areas of the warehouse.
Due to the high ceilings in warehouses, lots of power is wasted trying to heat the higher portion of the space, which is unnecessary, as most warehouse workers will spend the majority of their time on the ground. Meaning you can end up spending a fortune on keeping a warehouse warm constantly.
Infrared heaters for warehouses
Infrared heaters for warehouses, otherwise known as Radiant heating, offer a more energy-efficient warehouse heating solution.
Infrared heating can be localised. This means you don't need to spend endless energy using big fan heaters, rather you can strategically place infrared heaters where its required most - where the employees work. Areas such as workstations, picking and packing areas and loading bays where people are most likely to spend most of their time can be warmed up efficiently by installing infrared bar heaters, either suspended or mounted on a wall, or even a custom made tray to fit the bar heater, saving valuable floor space
Comparison: Traditional Heaters and Infrared Heaters
| Feature | Warm Air Heaters | Infrared Heaters |
|---|---|---|
| Heating Method | Heats air which is then circulated by fans | Directly heats objects and people without warming the air |
| Energy Efficiency | Lower, as heat rises to ceiling and is wasted | Higher, as heat is targeted to specific areas |
| Installation | Requires ducts and fans, may be more complex | Typically wall-mounted or suspended, easier installation |
| Maintenance | Requires regular maintenance for fans and ducts | Minimal maintenance, fewer moving parts |
| Heat Distribution | May be uneven, with hot and cold spots | Even distribution in targeted areas |
| Speed of Heating | Slower, needs time to warm up the air in the entire space | Instant heat, warms up targeted areas quickly |
| Comfort Level | Can create a stuffy environment | Provides a fresh and comfortable atmosphere |
| Space | Takes up floor space with ducts and units | Saves floor space, ideal for high-traffic areas |
| Flexibility | Less flexible, heats entire space uniformly | Highly flexible, can be targeted to specific zones |
| Operational Costs | Higher due to energy loss and constant operation | Lower due to efficiency and targeted heating |
| Initial Cost | Moderate to high, depending on complexity | Typically lower, simpler installation |
| Environmental Impact | Higher carbon footprint due to energy inefficiency | Lower carbon footprint, more eco-friendly |
| Noise Level | Can be noisy due to fans and ducts | Quiet operation, no fans or ducts |
Benefits of Infrared Heating
Infrared heating technology hold numerous substantial benefits when compared to traditional heating systems in warehouses:
Direct heating: Infrared heating differs from convection heating, which simply heats the air, since infrared heating transfers heat directly to objects and individuals in its path. This results in faster warm-up times, more efficient use of energy and no air movement minimises heat loss in the larger warehouse areas
Zone Heating Capability: You can place infrared heaters at strategic points in your warehouse to heat individual areas or zones such as packing areas or workstations, this means you can save energy by heating only occupied areas
Increased Comfort: The infrared heat emitted by infrared heaters creates a comfortable environment by warming objects and surfaces, which then radiate heat back into the space, minimising drafts and air movement found with forced-air systems and holding much more stable temperatures throughout the heated space
Reduced Stratification: Traditional heating systems cause substantial temperature stratification within a high-ceiling warehouse with warm air rising to the top. Infrared heating reduces this effect by directly heating objects at ground level, providing more even temperature from floor to ceiling and decreasing reliance on destratification fans or other devices designed to move air
Reduced installation and maintenance costs: Infrared heating required no maintenance and are very easy to install
Better air quality: Because infrared heating does not depend on moving air to make heat, you have no drafts or air blowing towards your face, which reduces dust and allergens as well as making humidity relating problems less problematic
Benefits of infrared heating in warehouses
See how one of the biggest retail chains installed Infrared heating to reduce their carbon footprint and ensure optimal temperatures in their working areas for employees
Warehouse Infrared Heating System Design
Heating calculations
The first step of designing an effective infrared heating system for a warehouse lies in the heat requirement calculation. This step involves examining the warehouse's heating requirements, taking into careful consideration multiple factors.
Warehouse size is one of the major considerations. Larger warehouses obviously have greater heating demands than smaller ones. But it’s not just about the square footage, ceiling height matters too. A high ceiling can greatly increase the need for heating in many warehouses.
The building’s insulation is another important factor.
Optimal heater placement
After calculating the heating requirements, the next important step in how to design an infrared heating system for warehouses is to plan the placement of the heaters properly. Careful placement of infrared heaters is essential to ensure that the heat is evenly distributed and the system functions at peak efficiency.
If you are looking to only heat up smaller areas rather than the full warehouse, then it is best to get the length, width and height where the heater will be mounted of these smaller zonal areas. For example, a workstation or packing area is the only space used by workers, and so this area should have the concentrated heat rather then the the full warehouse. So if you only get the dimensions of this area, then you can concentrate the heat here.
Once we know how much heating is required, it is important to choose the suitable type and number of infrared heaters. Industrial infrared heaters are available in a wide range of dimensions and heating capacities, therefore selecting the right combination is vital for optimum performance and energy effectiveness. We recommend our Infrared Bar heaters as they are the most powerful and take up very little space compared to more larger panel heaters
Choose the perfect Infrared heater by using a Wattage Calculator to determine the appropriate heater size for your space
Here are some key factors to keep in mind to place your heater most efficiently:
Ceiling height: Taller ceilings make it necessary to mount heaters higher up, which can mean need for more powerful appliances or more heaters, according to industry experts.
Obstacles: Look for overhead obstacles like light fixtures, ductwork, beams, and storage racks that could impede the infrared rays.
Work areas: Focus on heating the work areas, specifically above where employees use the most time of their time.
Movement of people, vehicles: Design around the flow of people and vehicles in your warehouse to avoid placing heaters where they might be blocked or damaged.
Heat loss areas: Identify areas where heat escapes, like loading docks or doors that open and close often.
Infrared heaters are usually installed on the ceiling or suspended down to around 2.5 metres from ground level, or high up on walls and pitched to give maximum coverage.
Zoning principles for bigger spaces
Zoning means dividing up your infrared heating system space into smaller areas for effective design and use, which is important for designing an infrared system in large warehouse spaces. Zoning provides improved temperature control, increased energy efficiency, and enhanced vowel comfort across the warehouse.
The overall objective of zoning is to partition the warehouse into different zones that can be heated individually according to their needs. This has some benefits:
Cost-efficiency: Zoning can greatly reduce energy use and cost by ensuring you only heat the areas that require it, and only when those areas require it.
Tailored climate: Certain temperatures are demanded in various corners of the warehouse due to the activities performed or the materials kept.
Better control: Zoning makes controlling the temperature throughout the entire warehouse more manageable. So you can only switch on the packing areas, or only workstations which are being used, instead of heating up the whole warehouse or unused work areas
Thermostat for each zone that can be programmed
For some areas where only one or two heaters are required, you can use the built in thermostat heaters. however for areas that need quite a few heaters, then it might be a better idea to hardwire them all to one thermostat for this area, this means the full area will switch on at once, rather then individually switching each heater on with the built in thermostat option.
Conclusion
Infrared heating is the ideal solution for warehouse heating making it highly efficient and cost-effective. These innovative systems utilise radiant heat to directly warm people and surfaces instead, resulting in more comfort and lower energy costs than traditional systems. In warehouses, infrared heating systems must be designed based on the structure's size, layout, insulation, and heating profiles.
During the winter, it becomes essential to maintain optimum temperatures in such massive spaces that can be challenging to achieve with traditional heating methods; infrared heating has proven to be one of the best solutions to minimise energy costs effectively. By considering the individual requirements of each facility and investing in infrared heating technology, warehouse managers can greatly improve energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint. Adopting this cutting-edge heating solution will not only improve operational efficiency, but also provide a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach to warehouse management.
Contact
If you require any further information or have any questions, then please contact us and speak to one of our specialist technical team who will be happy to help. Call us on 01204 520544 or email us at info@infraredheatingsupplies.com.