They heat stationary objects, not the air around them

Infrared heaters are often called radiant heaters because they work a lot like the sun does in the sense that they heat by radiation. In case any of you miss being in 7th-grade science class, here's a little lesson for you. Radiation is the act of transferring heat from one object to another without touching it. Electromagnetic energy moves from the warm object to the cool one, and voila, you can feel warm no matter what the temperature is around you.

The great news about infrared heaters is they will almost instantaneously heat the objects in the room once they are turned on. So, you no longer have to wait for the entire room to heat up before you get toasty. That also means those people who love to walk in and out of your cozy room won't ruin the atmosphere by bringing in a draft. You will stay warm even if the temperature in the room changes.