How warm will the church be?

With sufficient heaters we can heat the entire church. However, this is unlikely to be the most cost-effective way of heating as it will consume a high amount of energy, especially in older, poorly insulated churches that were never built to be heated.

For churches with less frequent use “Sunday Churches” and those that are rarely fully occupied, by far the most cost-effective method will be to provide zones or “bubbles” of heat focused on the area in use. For example the main nave. Other areas not in use can remain unheated. People will be directly warmed by the heaters when they are on within proximity of the infrared heater and often, a shorter pre-heat time is needed to take the chill off the area. The feeling of thermal comfort will be affected by cold air but the radiant heat will provide a good level of comfort for people within the heated area. We usually aim for “real feel” temperatures (the temperature you perceive) of between 17-19°C unless higher comfort levels are required.

If the church is investing in solar, our APX system can automatically provide background heating for the building when electricity is being generated from the solar PV. This can be a useful way of raising the overall internal temperature of the church at nil cost, and zero CO2, and will reduce the demand for heating during services. Our systems will also work with smart “time of use” tariffs from energy providers (such as cheap overnight rates).

It is important to understand that currently, the daytime electricity rate is around 3 times more expensive per kilowatt of energy than fossil fuels. This will change in the future but in the meantime as we transition to net zero, heating bills will be higher if switching from a gas / oil boiler unless the new infrared heating system is used differently to traditional ways of heating and occupants’ expectations levels are managed.

Control, zoning and the placement/heights of the heaters are crucial to a successful installation and energy efficiency.