Home products: Stone-age heating system making waves

I was confident last week that warm weather was on the way. I must have missed the memo. The wind is howling and hurling splats of wet snow at my window. I'm therefore taking a toasty detour from the renovation of Serenity Cottage that we've been following over the past few weeks to cover something new to North America: an infrared "picture heater" by Austria-based Redwell International.

Heating with infrared radiation dates back to the Stone Age when humans relied on fire-heated stones for warmth. Redwell's 21st-century version has been keeping Europeans warm for eight years and now, with freshly minted Canadian Standards Association approval, it has brought it to Canada. With the right mix of sexy aesthetics, ease of use, "green" environmental properties and reasonable cost, it's going to turn the heat up here in a major way.

The Redwell infrared picture heater is a 14-millimetre-thick (about a half inch) panel with an enamel surface that comes in various sizes and plugs into any 110V electrical outlet. Attach it to a ceiling, hang it -- or lean it -- against a wall for instant, convenient warmth emanating from something that looks like a framed photograph, a mirror or piece of art.

Peter Schürmann, head of Redwell Canada, operates North America's exclusive distributorship of the infrared picture heater. Although he'd retired after 26 years with energy equipment supplier Siemens Canada, most recently as a vice-president of the power generation group, he came out of retirement because of his belief in the product.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Convenience aside, Peter is excited about bringing the healthy benefits of infrared heat to Canadians. He says it's "good for you because it heats like the sun," meaning it operates within the same spectrum (seven to 10 microns) that medical research has proven helps build immune systems. At least one medical clinic in Europe is planning to equip its rooms with infrared picture heaters because they can be individually controlled and patients will feel better basking in their warmth.

There are benefits for allergy sufferers, too. Unlike convection heating systems, infrared heaters don't circulate dust, germs or pollen through the air. They heat with electromagnetic waves like the sun.

They've also been proven to stop the growth of mould and fungus. Given the proliferation of mould in Canadian schools, maybe school boards should be considering Redwell's chalkboard heater panels as a healthy alternative.

There is a roster of images for consumers to choose from for the heaters on the Redwell Canada website, (http://www.redwell.ca) -- click on "Heating elements" and then on "Picture elements." The 15 images include stunning photographic works, a funky abstract, and reproductions of artistic masterpieces by Klimt, Van Gogh, Schiele and Monet, with frame choices in anodized aluminum, chrome, painted white or wood.

For the minimalist, the heaters also come in plain white, red and blue, with the aforementioned chalkboard finish that would be great in a kitchen or child's room, as well as in a mirror finish. The heated mirror version will never fog up in a steamy bathroom and, if you toss your towel over it while you're scrubbing down, it'll be toasty warm when you're finished.

VERSATILE DESIGNS

Not all of the products shown on the Canadian website are available in North America, but Peter is working on it, he says. I'll be especially excited to see the "Rondo" get CSA approval. A snazzy heater-globe you suspend from the ceiling, it has a cool contemporary vibe and is sure to be a conversation piece. Can a disco ball version be far behind?

Those that are already available start at $600 and, depending on size and area heated, go up to around $1,000. These prices don't seem unreasonable when you consider they require no renovation work -- there's no chimney or ductwork needed. There's also no maintenance required, they have a long life span, a five-year warranty, and are hugely versatile. And then there are the environmental benefits.

COST SAVINGS

Infrared heaters have been proven to save on heating costs. A controlled study performed last month involved two identical apartments in Toronto, one equipped with Redwell infrared heaters and the other with baseboard electric heat. Over the study period, the heating costs for the apartment heated with infrared radiant heat were more than cut in half. To quote a document on the website for BC Hydro, "The use of radiant heating can lead to energy savings because occupants usually feel comfortable at lower temperatures in spaces that are radiantly heated. In homes, occupants are often comfortable with air temperatures several degrees Fahrenheit lower than would otherwise be possible."

For more details and supporting documentation on the health benefits of infrared heat and how the technology works, check out Redwell's website and http://www.bchydro.com and http://www.hydroquebec.com.

Better, yet, you'll be able to catch some rays of the infrared sort in person by visiting Peter's booth at this weekend's Green Living Show at Exhibition Place, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto. You can also contact Peter through the Redwell Canada website or by calling (416) 607-6807. But do it soon. To quote Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, this is going to be "hotter than a pepper sprout!"

(prepared by Elizabeth Rand-Watkinson/Globe & Mail)