Installation of high intensity radiant heating systems was begun in this country in about 1955. At that time there was little information on the practical application of "Infra-Red" radiation for comfort heating. Over the next ten years a marked industrial growth took place in this new field. Equipment development for gas fired and electrical infra-red generators offered a wide range of applications; for example, total building heating, area or spot heating, snow melting, and others.

This investigation is an analytical study to compare the energy requirements for a radiant space heating system to that required for a convection heating system.