Case Study – Gothic Style Chandeliers for Victorian Churches

The Challenge

The Grade II listed Anglican Parish Church in Amcotts village is dedicated to St Mark and was built in 1853. It is of a traditional design with high ceilings and a large open interior. For many years the church had stood unused and neglected but following a successful bid for a grant from Keadby Windfarm Community Fund, Leisure Heating were given the challenge of designing a heating and lighting scheme which would have minimum impact on the listed building status of the church whilst being in keeping with its interior architecture.

The Solution

By installing seven specially designed chandeliers in the nave and an additional ‘half’ chandelier on the wall in the chancel, the church now has bright new LED lighting and an infra-red heating system which primarily heats the congregation rather than large volumes of air. The chandeliers are designed in ‘Victorian Gothic’ style typical of a church this age and in keeping with the church’s architecture. Each carries 5.5kW of short-wave infra-red heating from three radiant elements. Each unit also carries 21W of LED lighting from three warm-white candle lamps.

The Benefits

The use of Infra-red heating combined with new LED candle lights has allowed St Mark’s to benefit from a very energy efficient cost effective system which is relatively simple to install and virtually maintenance free. The new infra-red heating does not need to be switched on many hours before the congregation arrives.  The instant heat up times of short-wave infra-red heating means that the system can be switched on just a few minutes before a service begins.

The Principle of Infra-red Heating

Infra-red heating is based on the transfer of thermal energy by electromagnetic radiation. Infra-red emitters are classified according to the temperature dependent peak wavelength which they emit and can be short-wave, medium-wave and long-wave. Short-wave infra-red used in our chandelier heaters has the ability to heat people directly without having to heat up the air first. The element used has a thermal response similar to an electric light bulb so is instant. The low-glare coating used on the elements cuts out almost all of the strong red glow usually associated with older infra-red heating. Infra-red heaters can easily be dimmed using optional power controllers.

For more information on our range of specially manufactured church heating please call our office on 0115 937 2727