Infra-red Heating Warms The Congregation at South Muskam Church

Case Study – Infra-red Heating for Churches

South Muskam Church lies just West of Newark in the North Nottingham Countryside.  Like many Churches throughout the United Kingdom, heating is difficult due to the large interior and infrequent use of the building.

The Problem

This Traditionally built church had the same problem as most old churches, the high ceilings and large open interior made it very difficult to heat.

In the 1960’s a gas heating system was installed. This system comprised a number of wall mounted heaters but maintenance costs on this outdated system were high and the heating effect was unsubstantial.

The Solution

By installing a series of 1.5kW Linquartz infra-red heaters, specified and supplied by Leisure Heating Ltd, the church now has a full heating system which primarily heats the congregation rather than large volumes of air.

The Benefits

The use of energy efficient Infra-red heating has allowed South Muskam Church to increase the overall effect of heating while keeping energy costs to a minimum. The new infra-red heating system 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.

Electric 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 heaters have the ability to heat people directly without having to heat up the air first. They are compact, energy efficient and easily installed.

The element used has a thermal response similar to an electric light bulb so is instant. Infra-red heaters can be easily used with PIR movement detectors or with power controllers.