Heating St Chads Church with IR

Previously, the church was heated by gas and electric at a significant cost; running costs in January 2021 were £1,600 for the month. The gas boiler was condemned in April 2021 and, subsequently, the Church was without heating throughout 2022 and 2023.

The church was looking for a new heating system that would satisfy the Church of England’s green credentials.

Built in 1912-14, the beautiful interior of St Chads is hard to heat given both its heritage and scale, as well as the requirement to fit the heating within the historic architecture. Historic features include decorative mosaic tiling, stained glass work and detailed craftsmanship in features including door furniture. In addition, the church was looking for a sustainable heating solution that would meet the Church of England’s objective to reduce carbon emissions in the move to net zero.

St Chads Church was specified with 9 x Halo 7.8kW infrared heaters to heat the interior. The Halo heaters have been installed with two rows of four Halos from the Chancel to the rear of the Nave. These are controlled in side-by-side pairs to create the required zones for flexible management and operation. There is also one Halo within the Lady Chapel.

The Halos have led to a significant reduction in energy costs over the previous system. As an example, the heating costs in January 2021 from the previous system (through a mixture of gas and electric) were £1,600. The comparative costs from heating the church with Halo in January 2024 were £465, a huge saving of £1,135 on running costs. A like-for-like comparison, comparing the costs of the previous gas system at the now higher tariff, would result in an even bigger saving on running costs if the previous gas system was still in place.

The switch to an all-electric heating solution has also resulted in the Church reducing its carbon footprint, one of the key drivers in choosing the Halo church heating solution.