The “industrial” ceramic heaters that were installed in the church some 20 years ago have reached the end of their life. They have been very effective, giving out an intense heat, but their high power consumption means that they have become expensive to run. Also, other than manually switching them off and on, there is no way of controlling them so sometimes the church feels cold and sometimes it’s too hot.
The new heaters we have sourced and are currently installing can each be controlled wirelessly using an “app” on a mobile phone via the church wifi. They can be programmed to automatically switch on and off as required, and they each have a thermostat so they will switch off once the church reaches a set temperature. They have a slightly lower power output and emit a gentler, less intense heat. However, temperature measurements indicate that the pew “ledges” still reach the same temperature as was achieved with the old heaters. So, overall, these new heaters promise a more comfortable experience as well as some cost savings. We also think they look better!
Finally it is possible to programme the new heaters to come on when the outside temperature drops close to freezing, meaning that they can be used to provide some frost protection. This will hopefully allow us to eventually switch off the gas boilers, enabling us to decarbonise our heating.
