Infrared heat warms objects then those objects affect ambient temps, at least that is the philosophy of the heater I use in my bedroom that is not connected to the house heat. Trust me I stay toasty here in north west Ohio. I don't know how that translates to a mostly empty cage, I use 2 UTH with a dual zone thermostat, and a black incandescent lamp on a dimmer.
While true the sun does not heat the air, it does heat the ground, which heats the air. Far infrared waves also heat moisture which affects air temps.
I would definitely plan on 2 heat sources for your enclosure but I personally can't recommend an RPH until I have used one. There are good folks here that use florescent lighting to raise the ambient temp with great success, I would start there.
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