Disclosure: I work with a company that sells infrared heaters similar to Edenpure. However, the following statements are based on my own personal experience.
I am aware that this thread is aging, but I would like to contribute my opinion for reference, if that's okay.
That said, 1500W is approx. 5000 BTUs no matter how you figure it, that's it, that's all you're gonna get, I don't care what color the pretty lights are, or what the case is made out of, that's all you're gonna get, period.
It's like a law of science in itself: In any discussion about infrared heaters, someone will bring up the fact that 1500W = ~5000 BTUs = 1500W. This perfectly true - and it
should follow that an enclosed cabinet infrared heater of the Edenpure variety (which traps almost 100% of the lightwaves and so doesn't even have the advantages of radiant heat) is no better than a $30 milkhouse heater in a fancy cabinet. That's the theory. The trouble is, real world experience would seem to suggest otherwise.
I have used - and still do use - an enclosed-cabinet infrared heater, so I am speaking from personal experience, not what I read in some marketing material.
The advantage is not in the generation of those BTU's - it's in how the BTU's are
distributed. I don't blame anyone for being skeptical, but an infrared heater can toast a room in 10 minutes that a milkhouse heater of the same wattage would barely warm in half an hour. It can make a shockingly large area "feel" warm to occupants far from the heater, where a "normal" space heater of the same wattage would not get much further than roasting the carpet immediately in front of its grille.
I don't blame anybody for being skeptical - I was skeptical myself until I actually tried it (and I remain skeptical about certain dubious marketing practices connected with certain infrared heater brands
). Once I experienced it for myself, however, I quickly found that the heat-distribution thing, easily explicable or not, is very real.
That said, the following statement is right on:
If your room's heat loss is 10,000BTUs you are NOT going to heat that room solely on a 1500W heater, no way, no how, even if it's running 24-7, and trying is going to cost alot of money.
An enclosed-cabinet infrared heater is generally
not a good primary heat source, particularly for a drafty area like a garage. It can help save you energy through the use of zone heating - taking the heater from room to room and keeping the rest of the house cold - or by warming perenniel cold spots that have been keeping your thermostat set too high. It's not right for everybody, but there are many situations where it can be just what you needed.
