The History of Infrared Heating

The basis of infrared heating, infrared radiation, was discovered in 1800 by the British-German astronomer William Herschel, and it began to be used for heating during the Second World War. Since then the technology has travelled from military vehicles to industrial halls, stables and the floors, walls and ceilings of family houses.

How was infrared radiation discovered?

Herschel measured the temperature of the colours of sunlight with thermometers, and found that in the range beyond red, no longer visible to the eye, it was even warmer. This invisible, heat-carrying radiation is what we call infrared today. The discovery fell in the time of the first industrial revolution – since then we have known that the warmth of the Sun is largely carried by this radiation.

The road of infrared heating and heating film

Infrared radiation began to be used for heating during the Second World War, mainly for heating military vehicles and machines. Its great advantage there was that it warmed the soldiers directly: the whole volume of air did not have to be heated with energy-hungry convection heaters, and a lot of energy could be saved.

At the turn of the century, interest in green energy gave new momentum to development. Infrared heaters and heating films became ever easier to install, so they found their way into buildings, vehicles and homes. Successive generations of heating film advanced mainly in the safety of the power supply and in self-regulation – our article presenting the generations of heating film goes into detail. Thanks to rapid development, this way of heating soon became well known.

Where is infrared heating used today?

Today infrared radiation is used for heating in many fields. In industrial settings it is popular because radiant heating does not move the air, so it stirs up less dust – we also write about this in our frequently asked questions. In agriculture it is used for keeping animals warm, and in residential buildings as floor, wall and ceiling heating or in the form of infrared panels.

When the article was published in 2022 we installed 3rd-generation heating film, and then considered it the most advanced. Today we install 4th-generation heating film, which has an increased carbon-paste surface and a full-width contact strip. We give a 15.5-year warranty on 4th-generation heating film if we do the installation (in Hungary).

Video: where does the technology come from?

We also talk about the origin and history of the technology in our video (in Hungarian):

If you are planning efficient, clean infrared heating for your home too, request a quote, or contact us on +36 20 400 7400 or at info@futofolia.hu. Installation is available in Hungary.

Have a pleasant day:
Tóth Tamás
and the Fűtőfólia team