Infrared Heat lamp
 

My house is getting cold and I remembered that long ago I had infrared heat lamps for my Chinese Water Dragons.
I pulled one out and it still works!
I know the dragons couldn't see the light and it helped heat the terrarium.

So if I put the infrared light above my orchids do they "see" the infrared light that is on all night?
Will that effect the growth, life etc. of the orchid?
I can put the light about 3 feet above my plants and I have a thermometer next to the plants.

I have read a lot of debate about that. For me, my concern is that while IR can certainly heat the foliage, does it do much to keep the potting medium and roots warm?

Remember the lizards could move away from the lamp. The lamp heats objects the light hits, heating different objects to a greater or lesser degree. A space heater with a fan moves warmed air through a space, heating everything evenly. I wouldn't use the lamp on plants. You could consider shining it upward onto the bottom of a heat resistant shelf, but I would have constant air flow on the other side.

The weather went cold early and I was not ready to turn on central heating.
I set the light up last night as an experiment.

I set the heat lamp about 30 inches above my non-Phal orchids.
I stayed up to see how much the temps would rise and it was 69 to 70 degrees at the level of the media but warmer at the leaf level --Like you said ES.
The room temp was 62.

I like the idea of putting the lamp underneath since the table is aluminium with a towel over it.
That will be the experiment tonight.

I think that ultimately I will get a seedling heat mat for overnight.