Electric Heating Systems

Green Energy (Eu) has just launched a line of energy monitors via an OEM deal with their manufacturer. The "Eco Eye" is a device that sits in your house (anywhere: your kitchem, office, living room) and displays your electricity consumption in REAL-TIME whether in Kilowatts or Monetary value! The point is - you see exactly the effect of leaving electrical devices switched on in the house and what happens to your wallet - real-time - when you switch the kettle on.

Its manufacturers estimate that the Eco-Eye gives you savings of up to 15% on your energy bills just through introducing "behavioural change" with the way you use your appliances. The types of target customers is almost endless. This gizmo will benefit domestic users, small businesses, schools, public buildings, housing scheme managers, student diggs etc.

The unit doesn't require an electrician to install. A "sender" is clipped to the supply lead to your existing electricity meter and a transmitter then sends the real-time information to the display unit in your house.

The unit is fully programmable for different currencies and is able to log account history for you to allow comparison over time. There is also a (to my mind very) useful PC uplink capability to allow you to upload data to a PC where you can store it and analyse it using the more powerful capabilities of a home computer.

This item is definitely on my "go get" list.

Marketing is not Selling. Marketing is a positioning activity to ensure your product has the best chance of being seen by potential buyers and of "selling itself" as far as possible.

The difference between marketing and selling is pro-activity and the ability to achieve the sale that has been set up for you by good marketing.

There are six building blocks to successful selling that are relevant to selling energy-efficient heating such as Infra Red.

1) Business knowledge.
- Do you understand the business climate in which potential buyers are operating and in which you are selling? Is it strong? Is it weak? Is it seasonal (yes it is - generally - for heaters!)? Is it political?

- Be well-read. That is, understand as much as you can about the present business environment and demonstrate that you do.

- Be able to converse on current events and futures. Self-explanatory. Be level headed. Don't adopt obvious 'sides'.

- Be politically aware. What is the impact of current government policy and its current and future impact on business (huge selling opportunity here, obviously for energy-efficient products and the likelihood of getting funding).

2) Industry Knowledge
- Ensure you are fully informed about your client's industry. How does it fit within the overall business knowledge you have? For example, whilst the economy is weak, public spending is reasonably high (hospitals, public bodies etc may consequently be 'buyers'); other people will also be motivated to cut costs and therefore equally may be 'buyers' but each needs a different sales message. How would Infrared Heating satisfy each type of client?

- Be aware of your client's competitors and how your product may help a client stay ahead of them.

- Be aware of any personalities in their industry - have they recently said anything for or against infrared heating?

3) Company Knowledge
- Be rock-sure about how your own company operates - for example - will you do "proofs of concept" if asked?

- Are there ethical boundaries about where or to whom (or how) you sell your products? For example not rubbishing the competition.

- Be aware of your own advertising. How did the client find you? Will you feed any of this back into your own company?

- Are there specific experts within your own company that you should get infront of the client rather than try and "bluff your way" yourself?

4) Product Knowledge
- You must have an in depth knowledge about your Infrared heating products yourself.

- Be persuasive. This includes being aware of any possible weakness in your products. Be sure a client will probably have researched them. Have an answer ready.

- Believe in what you sell.

5) Selling knowledge
- Selling is a skill. Research it. Try "Selling to Win" by Richard Denny.

- Avoid any hint of "But it's difficult" or any other negative. Always sell its flip side. "Infrared heaters aren't actually expensive, when you compare their running costs versus traditional forms of heating - even over just two or three years".

- Practice selling.

6) Attitude!
- It is the ultimate characteristic that separates stars from "also rans"

- The old cliché that "first impressions count" really counts.

- Trust yourself.

Finally:
Think about your strengths and weakenesses in the above areas every month. It will give you insight into potential sales as well.

Trust yourself. You got this far due to "something".

Think professional. Don't lower yourself to other peoples' sales standards and don't be afraid equally to walk away from an opportunity as they might from you. A sale well made is a potential subsequent sale. A sale badly made is a trail of bad feeling and bad-mouthing that will follow you and your company around.

Success builds success no matter how small the initial success.

The one who gets ahead is the one who does more than is necessary - and keeps on doing it.

Here is a very simple calculation to determine your infrared heating energy consumption needs, versus that of an oil-fired heater.

1) Calculate the room volume to be heated (width x depth x height) = m3

2) Calculate the infrared consumption = Room volume (m3) x 25 Watts

3) Cost per hour = Consumption (your answer in 2) x Unit cost of electricity (which currently stands at about 14p per kWh.

4) Divide total running time by 3 (as Redwell panels draw current for only 1/3 of the total time they are 'on').


To calculate oil heating consumption:

a) Calculate room volume as above

b) Calculate Radiator output watts = Room volume (m3) x 45 Watts

c) Calculate Boiler output watts = Radiator output watts + 10% (due to loss between boiler and radiator)

d) Calculate Boiler Consumption Watts = Boiler output watts (from 'c' above) divided by "age deflator" (see below) x 100.
(The "age deflator" is to account for the fact that boiler output efficiency degrades over time. A 1-3 year old burner is generally considered 90% efficient so your deflator = 90. 3-5 year burner is considerd 70-80% efficient so your deflator is between 70 - 80. A boiler older than 5 years can be as little as 55% efficient so your deflator is 55.)

e) Divide your kWh figure in d) by 10.22 and multiply that figure by the per-litre cost of your oil. (10.22 is the generally accepted figure for "kilowatts per litre" and by using the age deflator above, we can take into account the efficiency of the burner).

In this second post on energy-saving benefits of Infrared heating we will look at total heating requirements in a room of a family house from October through March 2007 - 2008. A 600 W Redwell ceiling mounted heater was used.

The room was westerly facing a net volume of 30.5 m3 required 451 W heat and was fitted with a 600 W heater.



Over the October to March period, the data was recorded as follows.



Observations: as the Autumn season kicks in during October, the house temperature falls and is maintained at a fairly constant 21 degrees C with some fluctuations above 21 degrees and not a single fluctuation below 20 degrees.

Outside temperature falls to a minimum -8.1 degrees C. By and large, you can see the "Consumption kWh / day" curve follows the outside temperature fluctuations inversely. This shows that home insulation is not perfect and heat is required inside to compensate! (We'll write a separate post on insulation! It's important!)

Over the 5 month period, total energy required to maintain 21 degrees centigrade was 208 kWh which we calculate to be roughly £29.12 at 14p per kWh.

It is difficult making a direct energy/cost-saving comparison with other forms of energy (e.g.) oil since:

- The energy efficiency of oil depends on the type and age of the burner which in all cases become progressively less efficient with age;

- Electricity tarifs can differ over a 24 period (e.g. peak and nightime hours);

- Oil prices are not stable, reaching a peak in September 2008 of 66 pence and settling by the end of the year to about 40 pence per litre (but unlikley to fall back below 30 ppl going forwards and currently 33p). EX VAT.

- the way people behave with oil heating is different because they can typically see/hear the fuel being burned and are aware of its unit cost! So typically people tolerate greater temperature fluctuations between daytime and nighttime whereas the temperature in the Redwell house was maintained at a steady temperature;

- The generally accepted heating benchmark is 20 degrees, not 21, and any form of energy will cost proportionally more to heat a given volume above 20 degrees;

- People overlook the electrical cost of running oil heating itself (about £75 per annum for a 50kW burner depending on use).

(But you get the idea)

We can roughly say that:

a) Using our previous post (see "Energy Savings from Infrared heating") we can infer that at least 736.28 kWh of energy would be required for oil-based heating for this room.

b) Assuming the burner is new (less than 3 years), condensing, lightweight, you could be seeing 10.22 kWh energy per litre of oil (@88% efficiency) meaning you will require about 72 litres of oil. An 'old' heavyweight, non-condensing boiler can be as bad as 55% efficient implying up to 115 litres.

So?

At September 2008 fuel prices of about 66p per litre then the equivalent fuel bill would have been anywhere between £47.52 to £75.90 depending on the efficiency of the burner and not including the electrical cost for running the burner. A brand new, lightweight, condensing boiler at mid 2009 prices would just about wash its face but would still decay over time and be subject to price uncertainty.

We've looked at how infrared heating works, the building and installation advantages of Infrared heating, as well as its health benefits.

This is the first of two posts about the energy-savings made possible by Infrared Heating over conventional forms of home heating. Important note: the following data applies only to Redwell Infrared Heating units. The same energy savings may or may not apply to other makes of heater. There are certainly cheap brands to which these savings definitely do not apply. (Buyer beware.)

At the most extreme end of the savings spectrum and probably unsurprisingly is the savings found against an oil-heated 12 room home of 225 m2 area. The house in question used a 60kWh oil heater (heating only) and required 16.95 kWh of Infrared heating.


When compared with night storage electric heating a 6 room house of 150m2 area required 30.10 kWh night storage heating input and just under 8kWh (7.988kWh) Infrared equivalent.


Finally, when compared against gas heating of a 4 room house of 136m2 area, which required a 10.26kWh gas burner, as opposed to 3.714 kWh IR heat input.



In all cases, be aware from previous posts that building and installation benefits (not expressable in terms of energy-saving) would also apply in all the houses above (e.g. elimination of flues, fuel storage etc).

Our next post will look at the financial implications of the energy-savings, when IR heaters were used over a winter period in different rooms of a house.

OK, stewardship of the planet, "going green", saving the environment is a great thought, but when it comes down to it, most of us aren't likely to swap our existing home or office heating systems just because it is good for the planet. And whilst by and large, infrared heaters are energy-saving and you will be doing your bit for the planet - which is great - it isn't most peoples' primary motivator.


Most people's experience of switching is either because they see an opportunity in IR heaters for cost-savings and capitalising on tax-breaks available, or because their existing heating is in need of replacement and it makes sense to upgrade and then also reap the cheaper running costs, tax breaks, greater reliability, rather than just swap like-for-like with the old unit (of whatever sort that was).

For new build houses, building developers and planners definitely can increase their annual points against carbon emission targets by adopting infra red and the new home / office occupier can benefit immediately from reduced energy bills.

Infrared Heaters, in their correct niche, deliver all of the above benefits. So it really does make sense to consider changing.

Where would you use Infrared Heaters as opposed to other sorts of heater? (i.e. what is the correct niche?)

Where a building has an existing central heating system using heated water, it would not make sense to consider replacing the system with infrared heat, unless for specific circumstances your plan is to eliminate the closed water system all together. But where the presence of the water system is not in question, you are better advised to consider an air-to-water or ground-to-water heat pump or combination heat pump and solar for this type of application and maybe just use IR heat for top-up.

Infrared heating really comes into its own when you are considering heating open spaces in which for reasons of practicality, cost and elegance (in any combination), you cannot use central heating and choose to find energy-efficient alternatives to existing electric heaters, blowers, or gas heaters.

So:
Infrared heating is great because - given the right brand - it can be very discreet - or made to fit-in with overall decor without looking like "just a heater". Gone are the clunky radiators and stand-alone gas heaters or electric heaters or bar fires. An IR element can be placed very discreetly in panels, mirrors, replica works of art, or ornaments suspended from the ceiling. So you really don't need to know they're there. Take a look at this room with a Redwell Infrared heater. Can you see where it is?

Anywhwere you can route a power supply, you can place an IR heater. So you are not constrained to position the heat source where it is convenient "for it". You can locate it where it is convenient for you. In certain applications this means you also don't need so many heaters in a given room.

Infrared heating heats objects, not the air, so again, you can place them for maximum effect for heating people and the room and don't waste energy just heating up the air in the room. No draughts ensue. No 'layers' of heat distribution in the air.

Infrared heaters have no moving parts, so heaters of a reputable brand are incredibly long-living. There is no interim service needed either. (But do ask your distributor about reliability. Like everything, there are reliable and unreliable brands).

Infrared heaters are not necessarily expensive to purchase.

Infrared heating of the right brand is up to 70 percent more energy efficient than other traditional types of heating. So you will save money on your electric bills and also help reduce carbon emissions and safeguard the environment. (Please note not all brands of Infrared Heating give up to this amount of energy-efficiency. Make sure you do you homework with your supplier).

If you have a heating requirement that sounds like Infrared heating could fit the bill, then consider pursuing it with a trusted adviser. Green Energy (Eu) Ltd exists precisely to help customers make the right choice.

In subsequent posts, we'll look at the energy-savings, health benefits, and building and installation benefits of Infrared Heating.

We'll also look at "how does infrared heating work?" and show you some typical products and applications of it.