The Warming Surfaces Company Ltd., a Finnish pioneer in digital warming technology, has launched its first warming terrace tables. The furniture is the first end-product to utilize the company’s Halia warming surfaces technology. The warming tables save over 80 percent in energy costs compared to conventional electric terrace heaters and are designed to offer real-time thermal comfort for better outdoor dining experiences.
Halia warming is developed in response to growing energy efficiency and sustainability demands for heating in various living spaces. One such sector is outdoor dining. In March 2022, France became the first country to ban terrace heaters. This is because terrace heaters release half a million tonnes of CO2 annually, equivalent to the annual emissions of 300,000 cars. Similar policies to ban gas-based heaters are being implemented or planned in other regions and major cities such as Brussels and Barcelona.
The Warming Surfaces Company’s outdoor terrace tables equipped with Halia warming are particularly suitable for restaurants, cafés, and bars. With warming tables, customers can sit outside more comfortably and enjoy their meals and beverages, even as the weather gets colder. Localized radiant warming from below the table top creates a cozy pocket of warmth, warming the large leg muscles for better comfort than conventional heater lamps.
According to simulations carried out by Semcon AB, a multinational technology company, tables utilizing Halia technology were two times more comfortable for the user than traditional outdoor heating solutions.
Even at full capacity, Halia warming uses 75 percent less energy than propane-based terrace heaters. In addition, the warming surface only activates when it senses someone at the table and is powered with safe, low-voltage DC electricity. There’s also a significant reduction in emissions. Based on pilot measurements in Finland, Sitowise Oyj, a Nordic expert on the built environment, concluded that four tables with Halia warming could reduce emissions by over 95 percent compared to a terrace propane heater.
