Even the nicest infrared garden heater can let you down if it’s hung too high or pointed off at the wrong angle. You step outside expecting that immediate warmth, and instead the air stays cool while your legs never warm up. The answer isn’t more wattage—it’s placement done right. What’s actually going on under the hood Infrared garden heaters deliver radiant heat, so they warm people and surfaces directly instead of trying to heat the air. Most units run on a carbon fiber element or a quartz tube to produce short-wave or medium-wave infrared warmth, then use a reflector to shape the beam. That gives you directional heat that feels instant. Typical models plug into standard 220–240 V outlets, pull 1.2–2.4 kW, and are built for outdoor use with an IP rating to handle moisture and dust. For safety, look for a stable base, tip-over protection, and a thermostat to keep output steady. Here’s the thing: on a patio or in the garden, comfort comes down to where the beam lands. Mount the heater too high and the warmth spreads out and gets thin. Too low and you get hot spots and patchy coverage. For seating areas, 2.0–2.4 m is a solid starting point. If you’ve got mixed seating and standing, 2.4–2.7 m usually works better. Aim the heater so the strongest warmth hits shoulders and legs, not just the top of the head. A 45° downward angle often strikes the right balance between reach and comfort. Do that, and the infrared warmth stays focused where you actually feel it, so you can stretch out the evening without cranking the house thermostat. Infrared heat is line-of-sight. If the beam is blocked—by a wall, an umbrella, or a railing—the shaded spot stays cooler. Clear the path and adjust the angle to match how your furniture sits. And because radiant heat warms surfaces, objects can feel warmer than the air temperature. Keep that in mind when you position seats. Also, keep the heater at least 1 m away from anything combustible, and follow local wiring codes for outdoor circuits. Sometimes, a small tweak in height and angle is all it takes to make the patio heater feel like it’s finally doing its job.