FAQ's

FAQ's

The first of our frequently asked questions is designed to be a tool to ensure success; it highlights common false assumptions which are usually based on an installer’s or system designer’s experiences with traditional heating systems.

Far-infrared is the most efficient heating system but it only works correctly if a few rules pertaining to Far-IR systems are followed.

From experience we have learned that following the few very simple steps below virtually guarantees success, while ignoring these may result in failure.

How can I fail?

Size a system based on experience with BTUs and ignore Future Energy Products’ sizing calculator.

Far infrared systems “heat” objects and surfaces; these do not heat the air. BTUs (British Thermal Units) are an air-volume based energy measurement which is not directly convertible to surface areas.

The Future Energy’s Sizing calculator takes into account all surfaces and incorporates correction factors for window and door surfaces, which do not store as much energy as other surface areas. (Comparable to traditional “heat losses”)

Ignore the floor

Concrete floors are ideal for storing far-infrared heat. To prove this, we can look at outside brick or concrete slabs; these surfaces will stay warm for many hours after the sun has gone down.

To optimize a concrete floor for heat-energy storage we need to insulate it (similar to in-floor radiant heat)

To explain how this works in simple terms we compare this with a cooking pan. We heat a pan on the stove and when we take it off the pan is very hot; this is because the pan and everything in it stores the heat-energy. After we take it off, we put it on an insulated pad to keep it warm longer.

Over time, the pan will cool off. This happens because the heat-energy is transferred from the pan to other media (air or objects). We experience three kinds of heat transfer:

The first is radiation; when you hold your hand near the pan you can feel that it is radiating heat-energy. This radiation causes some of the “heat losses” or cooling of the pan.

The second is convection; cooler air moves past the pan’s surfaces and takes away some of the heat.

The third is conduction; the heat travels from the hottest to the coolest surface. The better the insulation value of the pad, the lower the conductive heat-losses, and the longer the pan stays warm

If we had put the pan on a large cool surface, the “conduction” component, which in the above example was the least significant because of the insulation characteristics of the insulating pad, will now become the most significant “cooling” (heat transfer) factor. If we place the pan on a cold metal counter, it would cool off in just a minute or two, and possibly 5 minutes on a stone counter.

The same is true for an un-insinuated concrete slab; most of the heat it stores would simply conduct to the outside environment and the heating system would constantly work to replace the lost heat.

In contrast, a properly insulated floor would retain the heat-energy for long periods of time, and in many cases the Far-infrared heating system is only active during cheap “off peak hours” and is off during expensive “peak hours”. During the “off” time, the floor releases its stored energy and gets replenished during the “on” time.

I have a large warehouse and the floor is insulated, but I cannot heat my shipping manager’s office; why is this?

In your scenario, you are unintentionally trying to heat the entire warehouse with only the heating system in the shipping manager’s office. You are heating the concrete floor in you shipping manager’s office, but your installer did not take into account that the entire warehouse shares the same slab. Though the building may be insulated at the perimeter, your tiny heating system is trying to heat the entire warehouse!

In this case you will need to line the manager’s office floor with a thin layer of insulation and cover this with a few inches of concrete or wooden floor boards. Once the heat transfer to the rest of the building has been stopped the system will work as designed.

I have a brand new building with a properly insulated floor but I cannot get the building to warm up; the building actually feels cooler, not warmer.

When concrete is fresh, it contains massive amounts of moisture (water). Depending on the soil and soil prep, it may take several months for the concrete to dry out. Infrared (of any wavelength) helps dry out the wet floor, but as the water evaporates, you are actually experiencing evaporative cooling. The drying/curing time with IR heat is typically 1/3 of the concrete’s natural drying time and as soon as the floor is dry the system will perform as anticipated.

I did a room addition and ducted my existing heating system into this room but I could not get it warm enough. I decided to add one small IR panel since I figured I only needed 1/3 of the heat to correct my problem. Why doesn’t this work? It works at my friend’s house.

Unfortunately there are too many variables (unknowns) that we cannot address in a pre-formatted answer. Due to these unknown variables, “adding “just a little bit of heat” is a trial and error process.

The only way we can guarantee that the Far-infrared system in your addition will work properly is to use the sizing calculator and assuming that there is not primary heat source. In fact it may be better to cap off the air duct (unless required for AC) since the cool air from the home’s primary system may actually cool the surfaces and have a negative impact on the Far-IR system.

I tried heating my outdoor patio; I used the calculator but it did not work anywhere near what l expected; what am I doing wrong?

First of all, the low-intensity Far-infrared heating systems sold by Future Energy products today are intended (and approved for) indoor use only.

Secondly, you included the floor, doors and windows in your calculations, but did not include the 60+% open space (no walls, just outdoor space).

In an outdoor environment there are many factors that need to be included in the equation: Such as heat losses through conduction to the outside of the structure, conduction to the ground around, the lack of storage facilities (only the floor and walls can store energy, not the open space), excessive cooling due to outdoor air movement and the wind-chill factor.

You would probably need 10 – 15 times the amount of panels to have the people feel reasonably comfortable, which would make outdoor applications not a viable or cost effective. A shortwave high temperature IR system (gas or electric) will probably be more practical in your situation.

Product Questions and Answers

Are Future Energy Panels durable products or will the intensity of the IR-light diminish after a certain time? Can the wavelength of the IR-light alter?

No, in theory the Panels should last for many generations; these have been tested extensively and are not subject to wear and tear even when used intensively. The IR is crystal controlled; its wavelength cannot change with age.

Do you test every Panel that leaves the production facility extensively?

Yes, we produce our Panels according to the "Quality at the source" concept; every panel is tested. We guarantee the quality of our product.

Have you encountered any technical difficulties so far? What sort of technical trouble can I expect?

The only known technical problems were due to incorrect sizing, ignored building problems (water seeping into the slab, un-insulated slab for instance) and poor installations. There should be no technical problems as long as the basic guidelines are followed, the product is installed as a system (panel, controller, relays, and thermostat), and the transmission (sizing) calculator is followed

Can I decorate the Panels myself?

With the many changes in paints due to ROHS and other compliance issues we found that many paints can have a negative effect on the transmission of far-infrared. Hence, we do not recommend painting or decorating and will not honor any warranty or resulting liabilities.

We do offer custom etching options. There is an additional artwork and etching charge and it may take up to three months depending on the artist’s schedule.

Comfort

What does "Future Energy’s Comfort Heating keeps conditions homogeneous" mean?

It means that Future Energy, in addition to creating temperature stable surroundings (it doesn't use the air as a medium to transport warmth), also keeps the humidity in a room at a stable level.

What is the ideal air humidity?

A level of 40 to 50% air humidity is ideal for humans and animals.

Does IR-light shine right through windows? What about energy losses?

Yes, a certain amount of IR-light passes through windows and has to be compensated for by a correction factor. However this amount is limited because a heat bridge is created that will reflect most of the IR-light back into the room.

If I place my Panel on the ceiling will it mainly heat my head?

No, Panels emit IR-light in an angle of 170° heating the walls, floor and objects; the resulting heat is distributed equally through a room. In fact, in a properly setup system, you cannot tell where the heat is coming from.

Can I get burned briefly touching a heated Panel?

No, glass is too poor a conductor to transport enough energy (heat) to the surface to get burned if you briefly touch the glass; it will be hot to the touch (like the outside of a hot cup of coffee), and you would naturally pull away after contact.

The cold period for my area only represents a very short period of time. Can I leave it out when calculating my climate factor?

No, the lowest temperature of the year is a defining element in your climate factor. If you ignore this and you have several cold days, your system will slowly lose its ability to keep up and won’t “work properly” until the outside temperature exceeds the design temperature once more.

Operation and Energy consumption

I installed a system using the guidelines f 3.7 watts per square foot, but the panels stay on all the time when it is cold. Did I do something wrong?

In order to properly design a system you must use the Future Energy sizing calculator and consider all cautions and recommendations. If you did not follow the sizing calculator and the room has any windows, you probably under-installed the system (too few panels). In this case, the panels have to work harder than designed and are not able to cycle. When too few panels are installed the energy usage will be much higher than when the correct number or more than the correct number of panels are installed. Please recalculate and add the required panels.

I have installed the hybrid relays; it seems that they are not working. Are they defective?

Most likely, the relays are installed wrong. Unlike traditional relays or contactors, a hybrid relay has a defined supply and control input. Make sure the power supply is connected to pins-1 and 3, and the heaters are connected to pins-2 and 4. (See pages control system wiring diagrams for more information).

My system was designed according to the sizing calculator with the correct climate factor and I have a perfectly insulated home. However, during cold winters, I cannot reach the desired room temperature. Is there a problem with the heaters?

Probably not; if the film temperature (internal operating temperature of the heating panel) is programmed too low, it may take too long to heat a room during very cold weather. To resolve this reprogram the film temperature to a suitable higher level.

In some cases, it may be desirable to program a winter setting late fall and a summer setting late spring. See the Energy Controller documentation for more information.

Note: if the intensity (film temperature) is set too high, it may adversely affect the comfort level in a room; in a properly programmed system that has been operational for a few days, one should not be able to tell where the heat is coming from - - it should feel like it is coming from everywhere.

Is there a difference in energy consumption between a stand-alone Panel and the Future Energy Comfort Heating System?

Yes, stand-alone Panels consume 1.7 to 2.5 times more than a regulated Panels (Panels in regulated systems will emit IR-light constantly at their maximum level when the thermostat calls for heat, even when the control system switches the AC power off from time to time). Your energy consumption will typically vary between 1,625 and 2,438 kWh per year depending on the desired room temperature, the exterior temperature and whether you use a room thermostat or not. Additionally, in an unregulated system, the safety switch becomes the “controller”; in a controlled system, this switch never operates, but in an uncontrolled system it works all the time. Unlike the panel, this switch does have a limited lifespan and in uncontrolled systems this switch is prone to failure in 3-5 years

I have a mountain cabin and I have an existing heating system. Can I configure the panels as a hybrid system using my old propane heater and the Future Energy panels? I want to save on energy but don’t have much money to spend on a full instillation.

An occasional-use building such as a mountain cabin or summer home is actually a good candidate for a hybrid system. In permanently occupied structures, you are able to store the heat at all times so here a hybrid system is not always efficient. If the building is only used on weekends a hybrid system would be ideal, otherwise you would have to leave the IR system on all the time (you may want still to leave the IR system on low to prevent the pipes from freezing).

If your existing heater is capable of supporting the entire structure, a hybrid system can work for you. We know of people who have installed a very minimal IR system aided by their old propane heaters. When you arrive at the cabin, you switch on both systems and allow the propane system to quickly elevate the temperature. When the cabin is warm, the IR system takes over and the propane unit shuts down. If the number of panels installed is below what the calculator recommends, the propane heater would take over (run in parallel with) the IR system during very cold days. This type of system allows for significant cost savings (fewer panels) but yet can reduce the energy bills by 80 or 90%.

Is there a difference in energy consumption between ceiling and wall placement?

Yes, the difference occurs because the surface of Panels placed on the wall cools down more rapidly than that of ceiling-mounted panels. This is due to airflow past the panels; electricity is required to overcome these losses, hence, the panel will consume a little more energy. Place the Panel on the ceiling wherever possible for an optimal heat distribution and lower energy consumption.

Installation

Will a standard electricity connection suffice to operate the Future Energy Comfort Heating System?

This depends on the size of your installation. An average house would require an estimated equivalent of 5,500 Watts of installed power, requiring a maximum of 50 Amps. If not sure, check with your electrician before purchasing a system.

Are the Future Energy Panels compatible with my old thermostat?

The Future Energy System Controller requires a thermostat that closes a loop when heat is needed. The system is based on a 5 Volt power supply and cannot be controlled by a thermostat with an integrated 24 Volt AC system. Also, the heating and cooling circuits must be separate!! If a customer would like to retain an existing thermostat and it does not facilitate “loop closure”, this can generally be accomplished by adding a 24 Volt AC relay (and, if the entire old system was removed a doorbell transformer and a relay). The dry relay closure would then drive the thermostat input of the system controller. Most “heating only” thermostats are compatible with the Future Energy System Controller, but the use of a (Future Energy provided) smart thermostat will increase the system’s energy savings.

Is there a difference between heating a brick or stone, and a wood frame, or prefab house (timber frame); does this have an effect on my energy consumption?

Yes, there is a difference, wood will accumulate warmth more quickly than stone but stone has a vaster accumulating capacity. Over time (a heating season), the 2 properties cancel each other out making the energy consumption difference negligible.

Can the IR-light interfere with the motion sensors of my alarm system?

No the Panels emit infrared of a very long wave length that is undetectable by your infrared motion sensors ruling out any danger of false alarm.

Please note: There are some very inexpensive detector units that when placed within inches of any IR source (sun light, TV remote control IR mouse, etc) can be blocked and may case false alarms; any quality unit have a narrow-band modulated signal that cannot be hurt by other IR sources.

I have a very large room that I need to heat. What do I do when I exceed the relay capacity on an output port of the LHC-6 controller? Do I need another controller?

No, simply use one relay to drive many others on the same “zone”.

How long does it take to warm a house? Is there a difference between heating a house with a lot of moisture and a dry house?

Yes, residences that are moist will take longer to heat. How long exactly depends on the level of moisture in your residence and the material that contains the moisture. When moisture evaporates, it has the same effect as an evaporative cooler. When there is a newly poured concrete floor, the overall temperature will remain on the cool side until the floor is fully cured. On the positive side, the panels typically “cure” the concrete in 1/2 to 1/3 the normal time.

Can I place a curtain in front of a Panel?

Yes, you can place a curtain in front of your Panel. Many materials can be used without a significant affect on your heating capacity. The indirect heat will generally compensate for the loss of direct heat. However when placing your curtain make sure you keep a distance of at least 1 ½ feet, or 50 cm between the front of the Panel and the curtain.

Can I heat a larger room; say 36 x 36’ (11 x 11m), by placing my Panels on the wall? Will the Panels' heating range suffice?

In this particular case we place the Panels on the walls across of one another. We know IR-light is effective within a radius of 11.5’ (3.5m) making our direct heating range 23’ (7.0m). Indirect heating stretches that range to about 33’ (10m) without there being any “colder areas”. For rooms exceeding 33’ (10m), the Future Energy Comfort Heating should either be suspended from the ceiling, or used for “zone-heating” when placed on the walls. Angling wall-mounted panels at a 30-60% angle will increase their efficiency (more energy stored in the floor). Note: UL requires wall-mounted panels to be 6’ above the floor or higher.

Is it possible to set my temperature for each room separately with one thermostat?

Yes. Each room would need a sensor panel wired to a separate “zone”. The thermostat inputs on the Future Energy System Controller would then be connected in parallel, and the intensity for each room set according to the desired “temperature”. One room would be the primary or “control” room the thermostat is placed in the room and temperature in the other rooms would follow the main room’s pattern or cycle. This may require some fine tuning (simple programming) until the correct combination has been achieved.

I have a large room in which I need separate temperature zones, how do I do this?

For each desired “zone” you will need one sensor panel wired to a separate “zone” on the controller. Each zone may have as many panels as required but only one sensor is connected per zone. The thermostat inputs on the Future Energy System Controller are then connected in parallel, and the intensity for each “zone” within the room is set according to the desired “temperature”. The thermostat is placed in the most critical zone and the other zones follow the main zone’s pattern or cycle. This may require some fine tuning (simple programming) until the correct combination has been achieved. This application is ideal for homes with multi-purpose or “great rooms”, as well as large offices with both north and south (or east and west) exposures.