Stop Letting Your Patio Go to Waste in Winter
Ever notice how restaurant patios turn into ghost towns the second the temperature drops? It’s usually because those standard space heaters just can’t keep up. They try to warm the air, but the wind just blows that heat away before it ever reaches the guest. We do things differently. We use shortwave infrared. Instead of fighting the wind, this tech sends heat straight to the person. It hits their skin and clothes directly. It feels like standing in a patch of sunlight on a crisp day. Because of that, your guests actually want to stay outside, even when it’s freezing.
The Nitty-Gritty Stuff
Since these live outdoors, they have to be tough. We build them with waterproof housings so rain and snow don’t cause a short circuit. Depending on your building’s power, we usually set them up with 230V or 400V. We use high-wattage elements—usually between 1500W and 3000W—because that’s what it takes to make a breezy patio feel 5-10°C warmer.
Why Shortwave?
We stick with shortwave quartz tubes for a simple reason: speed. Shortwave heat moves fast. It doesn’t get pushed around by the breeze, so your customers feel the warmth the second they sit down. We also add a gold-coated reflector to aim that heat exactly where it needs to go—downward—so you aren’t wasting electricity heating the sky. One quick heads-up: these things gethot. Really hot. You’ll want to keep them at least 2 meters away from anything flammable. No one wants a scorched awning.
More Warmth, More Money
When a patio is freezing, people “fast dine.” They eat quickly and bolt for the door just to get warm. But when you have a steady grid of infrared heat, people relax. They linger. They order that extra round of drinks or a dessert they weren’t planning on. And here’s the best part: the energy cost is a drop in the bucket compared to the extra revenue. If you can flip a few more tables a night during the winter, the gear basically pays for itself in a single season.