Heating Men’s Sheds
Background
Colin got in contact with us a couple of years ago to discuss the installation of a suitable heating system for a renovated building that was to be used as a local branch of the Men’s Shed charity. The Men’s Shed is a charity set up to support men’s health and wellbeing. It involves mens sheds being kitted out as community spaces where men can enjoy time with others and enjoy hobbies together.
The building, ‘The Pagoda’, was a former tennis changing rooms which had been left derelict for 30 years. The 10m x 10m property was fully renovated “back to brick” and with new ceilings and electrical installation, all carried out by volunteer members of the Men’s Shed branch. All windows and doors, external and internal were replaced with high-efficiency double glazed units.
The building has no gas supply to the building so an electric heating system was the only choice. Colin states that “various types of electric heaters were considered however the Herschel range of infrared panels was deemed to be the ideal choice for the following reasons:
1. Easy to install
2. Ceiling-mounting meant less chance of accidental damage in workshops and social areas
3. Ceiling-mounting also meant that wall space was left clear, to maximise space for work-benches and also seating in the social area.
4. All wiring (except for the thermostats) could be installed above the ceiling, so no cable-drops or surface conduit would be required, thus simplifying and speeding up the installation.
5. The nature of the heat output was ideal for the construction of the building”.
Solution
Herschel Infrared panels were specified for heating the Men’s Shed project. Slightly different ideas were used for the two large rooms, the social/kitchen area and the large workshop, and this was partly determined by the layout of the lighting system. The lighting is provided by 600mm x 600mm LED ceiling mounted panels. Colin says the Herschel heaters blend in very well with the lights, being the same width. In the social/kitchen area the lights were placed to the sides, with the heater panels neatly occupying the spaces between the lights. In workshop 2, the heaters were placed on the centre line of the ceiling. Workshop 1 has one 700W unit, and the lobby and each of the toilets have a 350W panel.
The social area and the workshop are separately thermostatically controlled allowing a warmer temperature for the social area and a cooler temperature in the main workshop where more physical activity means a lower demand for heat.
