The religious buildings of our modern landscape have evolved over the decades, as the role of religion in our society continues to change. The picture-postcard village churches with dreaming spires and ancient stonework remain – but now the make up an increasingly small proportion of the UK’s spiritual centres. Romance still clings to the image of the country spire rising out of the mist across a hillside, the gothic cathedral standing sentinel over ancient towns, or the half-forgotten ivy-covered chapel nestled in a country orchard… but today the religious buildings of Britain are a vibrant mix of old and new, large and small, ornate and plain, reflecting the multi-cultural tapestry of our mongrel nation: a portrait of the free expression of a rich variety of beliefs.
Today you can walk down the same street and see on one side a modest red-brick Methodist church and on the other an elaborate mosque with brightly coloured towers and domes. Medieval cathedrals stand opposite Buddhist meditation centres; ornate urban synagogues overlook Christian Science reading rooms and Quaker meeting rooms stand nose-to-nose with picture-postcard Catholic churches.
Not only the form but the function of churches can vary widely, even in the same church – even in the same day! Worship, spiritual expression and the celebration of God take different forms across different religions – so while sermons, prayer, hymns and regular services may be the order of the day in some churches, other religious buildings may be used more frequently for meditation, discussion, study and debate. Church activity is also closely intertwined with the time of year, each religious calendar bringing with it a programme of events and activities which celebrate specific religious holidays and observances. In a Christian church, spring brings a flurry of special services in the lead up to Easter; summer is the most popular time of the year for weddings and flower shows; autumn brings logistical challenges as the community gathers together for harvest festival; while in winter the church is at its busiest, with a never-ending series of special services and concerts throughout advent in the run up to Christmas. The Islamic calendar, however, is entirely different: the month of Ramadan in mid-summer brings with it communal evening meals, dedicated services and guest speaker events, whilst Eid in late summer and mid-autumn is observed with a timetable of special prayers.
Quite apart from the activities of the religious calendar, churches are increasingly expanding their community role to play host to a dizzying array of local events and services. Your church might host musical performances, organ recitals or rock concerts; perhaps it houses youth groups, craft events or the local Brownie contingent; maybe it acts as the local polling station, or hosts town council meetings and debates; or perhaps it’s the venue for academic conferences, art exhibitions or blood donating events. Many modern churches have diversified so far that a typical day’s timetable might include a morning service followed by Bible study class, a Bring and Buy sale and a crèche throughout the afternoon, an evening service followed by suppertime yoga classes finishing with choir practice at 9pm.
This is all exciting and vibrant and a great tribute to our country’s multi-culturalism and community spirit. The one drawback? It can make finding suitable heating a very difficult task!
In today’s modern society, churches encompass such a dizzying variety of building styles and play host to so many different activities that it’s easy to be sceptical when you find companies which advertise heating for churches. The heating requirements of churches vary as much as their physical forms and the activities which take place within them.
“Oh, heating for churches”, you might well exclaim, “so what do you think that involves?”
At Infrared Heaters Direct, that’s a question we’re very keen to answer. We’re well aware that church heating involves a huge variety of different properties with fluctuating heating demands. And that’s exactly why we recommend our products for churches: because infrared is one of the most flexible, adaptable, versatile and controllable heating solutions on the planet.
Our range of infrared heaters includes heaters designed for a wide variety of commercial, domestic and industrial locations – including heaters for outdoor fitting. Infrared has unique advantages for traditional style churches, mosques and synagogues which feature high ceilings and large open spaces. Most conventional heating systems, including convection radiators, storage heaters and gas central heating, heat by convection: pushing warm air around the room. Because warm air always moves away to cooler spaces, these systems have to produce enough warm air to fill the entire space – and in traditional churches with huge open spaces this is very wasteful. Infrared, however, heats by radiation: directly warming people and objects in the same way the Sun warms the Earth. There’s no requirement to heat the entire space: you can just zone the areas which need heat without wasting any power. You won’t lose heat through draughts or the circulation of air, either – infrared really is the most efficient way to heat large, high-ceiling or open plan buildings.
But infrared has many other exceptional benefits that make it a great heating choice for churches of all shapes and sizes – not just the high-ceilinged ones.
A major benefit to churches which host a wide variety of functions is the controllability of infrared. Heating with infrared is a much simpler principle than heating by convection – despite the superiority of the technology. With infrared panels or heaters, the objects and people in the path of your heater are heated to the temperature set by your thermostat. It’s as simple as that. Convection heaters, on the other hand, create uneven waves of heat with hot and cold spots throughout the room. This gives the thermostat an unrepresentative reading and can cause the heater to produce more or less heat than needed. With infrared, you have total control. Our heaters are also compatible with our wide range of high-tech programmers and heating control devices, so you can programme your heaters to come on at different times and at different temperatures. Ideal if you’ve got a winter wedding at 2pm followed by an aerobics class at four – you can keep the congregation cosy in their skimpy party dresses and turn the heat down in time for a room full of sweaty exercise buffs!
Another key benefit of infrared for the varied heating needs of religious buildings is the versatility of installation. Not only can our infrared heaters be wall-mounted or installed freestanding – they can also be fixed to the ceiling or suspended from chains! This gives suitable fitting options for churches of all sizes, bringing heating to a useful level if you’ve got high ceilings or keeping things simple in smaller chapels and prayer rooms.
The extensive design options available with our range of infrared heaters make them ideal for the aesthetically sensitive nature of many religious buildings. If you’re looking to heat from way up in the rafters, our dedicated range of high-ceilinged church heaters offers an industrial option that will keep your congregation cosy in the draughtiest of lofty churches. But if you’re looking for something to fit a little more discretely into your church décor, our Prestyl range of infrared panels includes diminutive under-desk heaters which are perfect for fitting beneath pews. They’re so discrete that your visitors might not even know they’re there – but they’ll appreciate the warmth and comfort they generate in these busy areas of the church. Or for an entirely different approach, infrared panels can be mounted on walls and ceilings in chapels, study rooms, choir stands and other smaller spaces within your church. Plain white infrared panels are a great fit in churches with a contemporary design or prayer rooms in which muted colour schemes are preferred. Alternatively, our designer panel range is available with almost unlimited design options – including totally customisable picture panels which can be printed with the image of your choice. You could print an image from a religious story, a quote from an important passage or hide your heating behind a famous theological painting. The options are endless!
For an expert consultation with one of our friendly heating advisors, gives us a call today on 0330 880 8383. We’re here to help you find the very best heating solution for your religious building – whether it’s a tiny Quaker meeting room, a medium-sized parish church or a monumental city synagogue.