Herschel Infrared 500W Smart Portable Panel Heater Review
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- Опубликовано: 23 дек 2022
- Herschel Infrared sent me their 500W smart wi-fi connected portable heater panel (HS500PR) to review. This review is my own independent opinion and I go over features, effectiveness, and compare it to the smaller 220W infrared panel I reviewed previously. Full article here: www.speaktothegeek.co.uk/2022...
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Herschel Infrared: www.herschel-infrared.co.uk/
Previous 220W panel review: • Far Infrared Heating: ... 
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Thanks for doing this video! Very helpful before and after purchase.
How you use Herschel heaters depends on the house. I have air source heating and these work brilliantly with high ceilings like in barns. They work as an add on for the air source. If the air source underfloor is struggling to maintain temp following a colder shift then the Herschel quickly fills in the gaps and brings the room quickly back to temp savings loads on air source elec running.
Thanks for the review. I have a whole-house Herschel IR heating system cosnsisting of 14 panels (400x to 800w) and two 700w towel rails. I use the Smartlife app to control them, some of them in zones in the four larger rooms, and Givenergy plugs to monitor their energy consumption.
I really want to know more now! Are they ceiling or wall mounted? How do you find the room temperature generally when they're on? Is it consistent or patchy depending on where you are in the room in relation to the panels? Do you put them on even when you're not in the room to heat the building (maybe at a setback temp) or do you just turn them on a few minutes before you intend to use the room?
@@SpeakToTheGeekTech All ceiling mounted, part from the two towel radiators of course.
It’s very early on for me, they were only installed around a month ago, but so far so good.
Consistency of heat: Pretty good once the room is up to required temperature. I used the Herschel room calculator on their website and it was pretty accurate for my (well insulated) house. Ended up being only around 40w-50w per m2. I set the two living rooms and main bedroom to 20C, the kitchen and hall to 18C and the rest of the rooms that are used infrequently to 17C - so these barely kick in most of the day unless it’s really cold.
I have Givenergy batteries as well, so around half of their consumption will come from Octopus night rate (12p for me). I have 11kWh solar PV, so this helps too, but not much on miserable days in December!
I toyed for a long time whether to go with air-to-air heat pump with a SCOP over 4 - and I still might do that for a simple set-up for a couple of large rooms (50m2 each), particularly for the aid conditioning function in the summer (it even got to 35C in Wales this year!). But holding off for now pending more experience with the IR panels.
The IR panels will be more expensive to run ultimately, but by the time you factor in annual ASHP servicing (not many people do this where I am), disruption of installation, moving parts to go wrong and of course the initial set-up cost (Probably around £6,000 for a simple two-room system (no VAT at the moment)), I’m happy to see how I get on with the IR panels for now.
Great channel - thanks for your videos; greatly appreciated.
Wow that’s a decent setup! I’m also in Wales and sit in a south-facing room for most of the day so I understand that desire for air conditioning too. I hope it all works well for you, I’m still investigating options for replacing my very old non-condensing boiler. The efficiency of a heat pump is very appealing for a long term investment to me at the moment, but these IR panels are great so far for the scenarios I’ve used them in so far. My wife didn’t even ask for the gas fireplace to be turned on when the 500W panel was running
Hi Emyr, I’m interested to hear more about your the performance of your system and how well insulated your home is? My wife and I are currently fully renovating our home and we intend on a whole house Herschel IR system of 10 ceiling panels plus the glass towel rails instead of electric radiators. We have 2.7m ceilings is one of my main concerns.
Thanks! Ross
Hi Emyr, I’m interested to hear more about your the performance of your system and how well insulated your home is? My wife and I are currently fully renovating our home and we intend on a whole house Herschel IR system of 10 ceiling panels plus the glass towel rails instead of electric radiators. We have 2.7m ceilings is one of my main concerns.
Thanks! Ross
Sounds perfect for an unheated workshop. At the moment, I don't do any woodwork during the winter months. Hopefully that will be a thing of the past!
I'm hoping to ceiling mount it over the workbench.
Nice! Although keep in mind your feet might end up getting cold then... the heat won't project through the workbench.
Just had my first 700watt panel delivered yesterday. My plan is to go A2A in the large areas and top up with infrared in the bedrooms on the ceilings. I think the bit the manufacturers miss is not integrating led lighting into the unit surrounds for ceiling applications. I can only find one on the market that offers this.
Let me know how you get on, I like the idea of combined heating and lights.
The concept is patented. I would have thought it was too obvious to be called an invention.
Should have added that Herschel are now replacing any of the wall based heater control units for free to avoid the loss of memory on power cut. I’ve had all 7 replaced (you need your original receipts)
Great review Oliver. I have seen another review that mentions the panel they have says it’s 600W but the in use Wattage is nearer to 700W. Did you test the power used?
My plug-in power meter says right now that it's using about 460W.
I've got a pair of the 300W XLS Herschel wall mounted panels in my occasional use cabin in the garden and they work well, the cabin is useable sooner than when using an oil radiator. My biggest gripe is the smart mode in the app, it has a mind of its own and on numerous occasions the panels have been on overnight for no apparent reason. Have needed to setup some Alexa routines to turn them off if gone rogue. I do have HA but couldn't get my head around integrating them via tuya, will revisit.
The smart mode is all the fault of Tuya from what I can tell. I just use manual with Home Assistant. Linking Tuya using the cloud is very easy, but I prefer local-tuya and that needs a bit more effort. If you’re up for a challenge and want fully local control then local-tuya is the way to go, but the regular Tuya integration via the cloud will give you the same control for a fraction of the effort. I had planned to put together a local-tuya video but they change the interface so often it would be out of date within weeks.
@@SpeakToTheGeekTech managed to get local tuya working it took a lot of trial and error. However while I can get a GE smartplug working with local tuya my Herschel panels are proving troublesome. I can see a target and current temp but still trying to figure out how to switch on and off.
Did you use the DPs in the article on my web site? www.speaktothegeek.co.uk/2022/12/herschel-infrared-500w-smart-portable-panel-heater-review/
If so, the integration should create a 'climate' entity for you. You just open up that entity and set the Operation Mode from Off to Heat.
@@SpeakToTheGeekTech Thanks. That helped. I`d already figured out the DP settings but had got hung up on the ID (first option above the friendly name)in the DP configuration screen and got it working by leaving the ID alone.
Great review, i am experimenting with these panels too. Latest trick by some German Manufaturers is to use a Marrble (5KG stone) plate the size of the panel and put it 10cm in front of the infrared panel. The Marble obstruction heats ups and emits the heat the same way but keeps emitting heat if the panel switches off. Efficiency rises and gaps in heat is avoided. I guess the technology is progressing. Next big thing would be to place receptors like Marble stones in your room that absorb and emit the heat to all corners, bit like wifi extenders. Maybe Marble wallpaper is the next evolution in infrared heating, who knows.
Interesting, although I imagine marble slabs everywhere could get quite expensive! Maybe the new interior design trend...
@@SpeakToTheGeekTech could place a regular foiled back mirror in front of the portable heater, if it worked you could save near £1k than buying the Company's mirror version.
I've been using the infrared panels since last winter, with great success. I have also been thinking about the marble ones. However on researching them, I found that they seem to have an issue with cracking, at least when installed so closely to the heating element.
I love your idea about dotting marble objects around the home, and think I will look into that. Aesthetically, marble happens to be in style at the moment as well. lol
Thanks for the review. Can you tell me please whether the panel heats outward in a single 'beam' perpendicular to the panel at the same width as the panel, or if it spreads out in a wedge shape from the panel? I'm wondering if it would be suitable to heat three people on a sofa or if only the middle person feels the benefit. And if it does spread out, does the temperature fade towards the edges or is it a constant heat across the whole wedge shape? Thanks
There is a wedge shaped spread, I’d say it’s at about 25 degrees either side. It drops off about the same as it does with distance
@@SpeakToTheGeekTech thank you. I have no experience with infrared heaters and thought it would be something like that but no one ever addresses it in their reviews and I cant find info on it on the website so I thought I'd ask. Top job ta
Is the IR also emitted out of the back of the heater, or just the front?
the thermometer pointing at the heater won't work! its the absorbed temp we need to know.....how narrow is the IR heat effect.....does it heat soft furnishings?
It won't give an accurate measurement, I agree, however I was attempting to use it to visually demonstrate the drop-off over distance. Yes, I can tell you how nice it feels, but showing that on video is tricky. That's why I've also shown me keeping warm in front of it in my very cold conservatory. If you left it on for long enough, it would heat soft furnishings, but this particular heater is designed to be portable for additional heat. I wouldn't personally leave it on if I weren't sitting right in front of it.
would you recommend this vs eg an electric oil filled radiator? do you think it uses less energy to keep you warm? Would be looking to use in my north facing home office which always feels cooler than other rooms and I don't want to be turning the whole house thermostat up just to get a bit more warmth in here. I do already have an oil filled radiator but that's around 1500w on full power and 750 on half. I guess its a question of how many watts electricity needed to provide 'comfort' - whatever you can use to measure comfort by :)
I can't give a definitive answer, but I'd suggest it probably would be suitable. It's a different sort of heat though and it depends on how you plan to use it. An oil-filled radiator will keep the whole room warm over a longer period of time, so if you're in that room all day, or there are multiple people in the room and you want the air warm, then you may want to stick with the oil filled radiator. But, if you're in and out and just want you to be warm, the FIR heater will kick in within a couple of minutes and essentially fire the heat straight at you! Because my study is so small, it actually builds up the heat quite nicely over an hour or so, but the initial sun-shine heat effect is really good. That hopefully also answers your question about cold fingers too! I'm not sure about energy consumption differences between those two though, they're effectively both 100% efficient, they just output differently with the oil radiator being slower for longer, and FIR being more intense for shorter periods.
I have found if there is a power cut the thermostats turn off and you have to turn them on again so the opposite of you, my panels all use a separate thermostat other than the towel warmer which just goes back to the automated routine
Are your panels Herschel?
@@SpeakToTheGeekTech yes they are
Thanks for the review. Why no WHEELS on something that is meant to be portable? That would be another suggestion to Herschel to improve them. We have gas central heating but if we don't want or need to turn on the CH we tend to use oil filled radiators which are excellent and efficient. Tend to be used on a low setting so pulls about 1.2kW but as under thermostatic control, and visible on our Tesla or myEnergi apps (we have solar+battery), the oil filled radiators turn off and on so use probably an average of about 600W so very efficient and certainly fill a big room with heat over time. These tend to pump out the full 500W or 250W (depending on model) continuously?
The heater isn’t really bulky enough to need wheels in my opinion
@@SpeakToTheGeekTech If light to carry ,then I would agree with you that wheels may not be needed. But if you want to move it when it has been on for several hours is it not warm/hot to touch? I get it, if you just have it one place, under a desk etc, then it is not an issue, but I am thinking of the larger "portable" units that they do. Thanks for the review.
So these updates you said are coming in Spring 2023 are now part of the current panels if I was to order one now?
I honestly haven't checked with them, I suggest you call them before you buy to confirm that the updated features you want are available before you order if you want to be certain that you are getting them.
Nope, not on the one I just purchased.
I think IR heat is a form of radiation and the heat loss is due to the inverse square law (1/d2)? Great for localized heating near desks.
Yup!
Hi, I got 425w panel heater but it cracked today, is it still safe to use?
I’m not qualified to answer that sorry. I suggest you contact the manufacturer.
did you check how much power you would use in a week to heat you in your office
Yes, it varies obviously depending on how cold it is and how often my door is opened, but I use just under 1kWh/day based on having the 220w panel on for 8 hours. It clicks on and off using its thermostat so it's not drawing 220w constantly
Is it safe aiming infrared at eyes like that ?
Yes. This isn’t visible spectrum infrared
Does it radiate IR from both sides or just 1 side?
The two Herschel panels I've tried project nearly all their heat out the front. Not much seems to come out the back.
at 1:07 in the background, a large oil radiator, it emits infrared radiation, just like the panel.
That's a large water-filled radiator which is part of my gas-fired central heating. Yes, it emits infrared too at a very close range (a few cm), but the majority of the heat energy from it is from convection.
Are they better when pointed at you being infrared?
Yes they are best when you are directly in front of them, but they do have some spread to the sides
@@SpeakToTheGeekTechcool thank a friend just got one and i did wonder.
If infrared heaters moving us from mains gas and to portable, clean green renewable electric energy, Herschel should demonstrate use of solar panels and portable battery bank. Guy said that conservatory was the coldest in the house at only 2 degree (!) mounting solar panels on roof or portable solar panels on the ground in the garden could save lots of mains electricity. ha?
I have got solar panels on the roof, they make a huuuuge difference to my energy bill especially combined with batteries. Have a look at my other videos because I go on about those a lot on my channel :)
Are you sure to know what are you measuring with that infrared gun?
Nope, it's just to try and roughly illustrate the drop-off as you move away from the heater, don't take the data as precise. If I had an IR camera then I could have perhaps illustrated it better.
@@SpeakToTheGeekTech to illustrate how the heater warms relative to the distanzce from It you have to use temperature probes at different distances. Doing this test with an infrared gun Is completely wrong
Does it heat up the space you in?
If you mean the air around you, no. It heats you, or the objects it is pointing at. Eventually those objects will absorb enough heat to start radiating heat themselves and that's when the air starts to warm up. To be honest I use mine purely just to heat me - if I'm not there sitting in front of it, I don't turn it on to save energy.
That’s not how you use a heat gun, it has a cone shaped focus spreads quickly. Past a half meter you are averaging a wide area, including outside the panel. Most IR guns have an illustrated guide molded into the handle that specifies the beam spread.
Yeah yeah I know, it was just to illustrate a point around the heat drop off you feel from the heater as you get further away from it.
Great review. It is unfortunate that you have to tell a manufacturer what the best way to design their product is. Having to do this is somehow very annoying and makes me wonder why. It is as if they are smart enough to do the job but they need someone to hold their hand and think the subtleties through from start to finish. It's like designing a car and forgetting to add a door handle. I've never understood how designers / manufacturers can go through the process of creating something and never give a bit of thought to the really small things that in the end become very important. I see it all the time with products and just have to shake my head. They get to the finish line and stop about a meter before crossing over.
Thank you, and I’d say in this case it might be a better comparison that they added door handles, but didn’t realise they needed to sand down the edges because they only ever tested them wearing gloves. It’s easy to be so close to your product that you miss details that don’t come into the light until they’re in the hands of users.
In 'Smart Mode' the heater is basically on all the time (at least, I assume so, even if night time temp is set to 14C or something) which seems a waste of electricity. So why is it recommended? Surely better to just turn it on when needed? Would that be less efficient? I just received mine and cannot say I am blown away by the warmth, but I suspect it takes some time to warm up the (very small) study (and me in it), so will give it time. Otherwise might have to invest in a woodburner instead LOL One more niggle: feet are rubbish, the whole thing is not very stable and the screw tightening actually damages the back panel. :(
If you're using it regularly then smart mode makes sense - I have a smart button I press which turns it on for an hour and off again afterwards to stop me leaving it on. But nothing wrong with using it manually too if you like pressing the power button as and when you need it, it will save energy. I think it uses about 5w in smart mode from what I remember when I put an energy monitor on it.
@@SpeakToTheGeekTech I see. I will use it everyday, all day (work from home), but I don't see why leaving it on overnight helps, especially since it's just a top-up heater and not the main heating system. I'll play with the smart settings but as I see it now I'll just turn it on when I start work and turn it off when I finish for the day. The app is quite useful - easy to turn on/off and adjust temp.
@@SpeakToTheGeekTech Good to know for others too: when you turn it off (as I decided to do when not in use (at night)) your smart settings are gone. So if you want 'smart' you would have to leave it on at all times (just set temp to low when not there). Alternatively, just use it manually via the app (what I do).
Now it's a year later so that those suggestion I like got to be on board I hope. What's the point of making different sizes of the same heaters and asking review by giving away to the guy and never improve? Herschel must be kidding us. I have seen the back of the panel and there are room to put those handle that go flat or mechanism to improve. It's a large enough object. If mobile phones could put in so much functionalities why not in a heater? It's heats up. But we want more!! I think more women need to test and ask what they/we want. Men usually just make things and don't improve details and women, girls, kids, elderly or disabled and vulnerable customers feel left out. Heaters must be for everyone and safe and simple, fool proof to use such as bang into it shut it off.
You miss the most important - The waveband emitted and received is very good for you (us and all carbon based life - cats dogs so on). I won't bother you further but if interested research Professor Gerald Pollack University of Washington - The Forth Phase of Water.
I shall look into that thanks
Goodbye, beeeeeeeeeeep
Expensive and inefficient. Don't waste your money like I have.
I agree with expensive, certainly, but it's not inefficient. It's pretty much exactly 100% efficient which is the same as other electric heaters. The difference is in the way the heat is emitted - it doesn't heat the air directly like most electric heaters, so it won't really heat your room up in the way most people expect. Rather, it heats what is in your room, people, objects, etc. Eventually, those objects will radiate heat and heat the air up, but that would take longer than a normal heater which just heats the air. But, if you are sat near a panel you would feel the heat benefit much more quickly and directly and can get away with a lower wattage as a consequence. If you aren't pleased with the output from your panel, you may have specced it too low for your intended needs. The small panels I've reviewed (500w and 220w) are not really for heating rooms. They're for close-up use, my 220w panel sits less than a meter from my legs while I'm working and is amazing at keeping me warm. It's been my only source of heating in my study this whole winter.
Some manufacturers are expensive, but not all
It's definitely more efficient than non-direct heating like oil radiators etc that need to first heat the air before the room's people and things get warmed up. It is less prone to drafts leaking away the heated air.
Not to mention even more indirect heating methods like boilers and heat pumps, which typically need to heat water, pump that water, heat air with that pumped water, which then eventually heats the people and things. No need for all that indirect business with infrared, plus you also don't need to worry about gas safety, nor yearly maintenance or bleeding radiators etc. And no space permanently occupied by wall radiators, infrared is more flexible. And so on...
does the 'leg heater' also heat the rest of you? in particular I'd want to avoid cold fingers while working on a keyboard. But tucking away under my desk would be handy for discreet-ness. I think the alternative would be to put it in front of the small radiator we have @@SpeakToTheGeekTech
There's no substitute for a nice coal fire !
... as a significant cause of respiratory diseases and related conditions, I totally agree yes!
@@SpeakToTheGeekTech Not at all, good stuff, great heat, can't beat the glow !
Gives reviews a bad name
Nice review but can you please stop swallowing and speaking like that? It really makes me cringe 🫣
Would if I could