Stop Letting Your Patio Go to Waste This Winter
It’s a frustrating sight: a beautiful outdoor seating area sitting completely empty just because it’s January. Most people try to fix this with those big forced-air heaters, but the second a breeze kicks up, all that warmth is gone. That’s why we use shortwave infrared. Think of it like the sun. It doesn’t waste time trying to heat the air; it beams warmth directly onto your guests and their chairs. Since the wind can’t “blow away” a beam of light, your customers actually stay warm, even when it’s gusty out. Built for the elements Let’s be honest—outdoor gear takes a beating. Between the freezing sleet, humidity, and random snowstorms, most electronics just give up. We build our units to IP66 standards. In plain English? They’re dust-tight and can handle high-pressure water jets from any angle. You can bolt these to your patio ceiling and forget about them. No worrying about moisture creeping into the wires or causing a short circuit in the middle of a dinner rush. Getting people in seats If you want to fill those tables, you need heat that works now. Shortwave lamps hit their peak temperature in seconds. There’s no “waiting for the area to warm up.” When a guest sits down and feels that immediate glow, they relax. They stay longer. They order another round of drinks or a dessert they weren’t planning on. Plus, when you can make a cold patio feel cozy instantly, you can move people through your seating more efficiently during those peak winter hours. A couple of things to keep in mind Before you go all-in, you’ll want to check your power grid. These arrays pull a decent amount of current. If you’re putting in ten 2kW units, that’s a 20kW jump in your load. Just make sure your breakers can handle a continuous draw so you aren’t dealing with a tripped switch during a cold snap. Then there’s the height. This is where some people mess up. If you mount them too low, your guests will feel like their heads are in an oven. Too high, and the heat vanishes before it reaches the table. We’ve found that 2.5m to 3m is the sweet spot for keeping people warm without making them sweat.