Sustainable Zonal Factory Heating for The Label Centre
Background
The Label Centre recently relocated to a new factory. The building required a full refurbishment, including the installation of a new heating system. Their old factory used gas blowers to heat the space; however, they were inefficient and so were not very sustainable.
“If you were near the blower, you’d get too hot, and if you were far away, you’d still feel cold. Plus, anytime we opened the roller shutter doors for deliveries, all the heat would escape — meaning we constantly had to reheat the area.” – Liam, Finance Director
They didn’t want to repeat the same setup, and so were looking for a sustainable zonal factory heating solution that could adapt to the needs of different areas and shift patterns within the new building.
We visited The Label Centre’s new factory in Dudley to discuss the installation of Herschel Infrared Manhattan heaters. Watch the testimonial below:
Solution
To explore their sustainable heating options, The Label Centre worked with EnTRESS (the Environmental Technologies Resource Efficiency Support Service). EnTRESS conducted a survey of the building, which led them to recommend Herschel Infrared Heating as the ideal solution.
As the factory is divided into different departments with varying shift patterns, 28 ceiling-mounted Manhattan 3000W Infrared Heaters were specified for each area. The heaters were incorporated into the overall floor plan for the new factory, mapping out the placement of machines, benches, and workstations to make sure the heaters would be positioned for maximum effectiveness. The heaters project warmth directly onto the work areas and also offer complete flexibility, allowing the team to easily adjust the positioning. The team only heats their specific zones as needed, meaning no energy is wasted heating parts of the building that aren’t being worked in at that time.
Since infrared heats objects and not the air, it also means that when the roller doors are opened for deliveries, no heat is lost, and energy isn’t wasted reheating the whole space. Another huge benefit is employee comfort and satisfaction, as with individual infrared heaters and remote controls, employees can adjust the heat in their area to suit their needs.
The team outlined that the costs have not risen in comparison to what they were paying before with the gas, despite the current price per kW of electricity being substantially higher than that of gas. The zonal set-up means the heaters aren’t all on at the same time, and people can control their own comfort levels, both of which help keep running costs down.
Using Herschel Infrared Heaters meant The Label Centre achieved what they set out to do: create a comfortable, sustainable, and flexible heating system that supports both their people and their long-term environmental goals.
