The time waiting for the bell seems to stretch out endlessly. Every window has been pushed open to its fullest extent – and every now and then a wasp wanders into the classroom and buzzes angrily at the glass. Sweating students loosen their ties, struggle to concentrate on their sums and look longingly out over the sun scorched playing fields. The teacher takes endless gulps from a warm glass of water and fans her face with a heavy textbook…
As schools across the country battle with record-breaking temperatures, heating systems seem to be the last thing on anybody’s mind. As the sun streams through the windows, memories of frosted windows, snow days and endless boiler maintenance seem like a lifetime ago. But whilst students and teachers depart for a well-earned rest at the end of July, the summer holidays mean one thing for caretakers, school developers and the maintenance crew: refits, repairs and extensions! The summer holidays are the prime time for schools everywhere to make those essential changes to the school building – and for many educational establishments it’s updating the heating system which comes top of the list.
Schools are one of the most difficult environments to heat effectively, efficiently and cheaply. Not only do they encompass a diverse range of different sized spaces, house a wide variety of different activities and balance a huge volume of human traffic throughout the buildings, they also have to juggle a series of regulations which make achieving the right temperatures a matter of law – not just comfort. Heating requirements are not only complex but strict – and with school budgets everywhere pinched tight, finding the right heating system can be a difficult juggling act.
But with the development of infrared heating technology, schools throughout the UK are considering a new heating strategy that overcomes many of the challenges integral to heating schools, nurseries, academies and colleges.
Challenge 1 – Accuracy
The Education Schools Premises Regulations of 1999 set out strict legislation for the heating requirements of educational establishments. The regulations state that all schools must be equipped with heating systems capable of reaching and maintaining specified minimum temperatures as long as those spaces are used for their normal purpose. The regulations leave no room for negotiation – so whatever heating system schools choose to employ in their properties, they must operate at a level where there can be no risk of temperatures dropping below those required.
Where schools use convection heating systems such as gas central heating, this can be expensive. Because convection radiators work by pushing hot around rooms, temperature levels continually fluctuate as heat moves to cooler spaces. Uneven temperature levels make it difficult for convection heater thermostats to accurately measure the temperature of the air, and can mean that even where a space reaches an average temperature which exceeds the minimum, there may still be cold spots which do not meet the specifications. The practical upshot of this is that schools must push their heating systems to provide heating at higher temperature levels which ensure that, even at the coolest point at the room, the environment still exceeds the minimum temperature. The extra power required to ensure sufficient heating at all points across the school comes at a high cost, ramping up school heating bills.
Infrared provides an energy efficient, controllable alternative. Because infrared heats by radiation, rather than convection, infrared panels provide constant levels of heat that do not fluctuate across the room. No cold or hot spots means you can set your heating to exactly the temperature you need. Even levels of heat means that your thermostat will give an accurate reading – and will switch off your heaters whenever the necessary temperature is exceeded. Quite the opposite of convection heating, where you must push your heating to higher levels to avoid the risk of cold spots, infrared heating can help you cut down your school heating bills to what’s really essential.
Challenge 2 – Variable Heating Requirements
The Education Schools Premises Regulations 1999 state minimum temperatures for four separate zones across school campuses:
• Areas with a normal level of physical activity associated with teaching (e.g. classrooms and lecture theatres) – 18oC
• Areas with a lower than normal level of activity (e.g. sick rooms and prayer rooms) – 21oC
• Areas with a higher than normal level of activity (e.g. bathrooms, corridors and gymnasiums) – 15oC
• Areas not used directly for educational purposes which fall under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations of 1992 (e.g. staff rooms, offices and stock cupboards) – 16oC
Controlling these different temperatures across the school heating system can be a challenge for conventional gas central heating systems. A system of pipes and radiators connected to a central boiler can be difficult to control because the entire system has to be switched on to provide heat to a single radiator. Central heating systems also often suffer from a single centralised thermostat that provides unrepresentative temperature measurements – a particular problem if your central heating system overlaps zones which require different temperatures, if, for instance, the sick room is in close proximity to classrooms and toilet blocks.
Infrared overcomes this challenge with the unique benefits of electric heating. Unlike central heating systems, electric heating is modular – each infrared panel in your system works independently and can be controlled by its own thermostat. This means you can set the ideal temperature for each environment with confidence that your heating will deliver accurately and efficiently – no matter what the temperature in surrounding rooms. And with our extensive collection of high-tech thermostats and controllers, zoning and controlling an infrared heating system has never been easier. Another advantage of the modularity of infrared heating is you don’t need to refit the entire building with a homogenous system – it’s as easy to control in a single area as it is as building-wide system. So you could install infrared heating in, say, the drama department and check out the benefits yourself before committing to a school wide refit!
Challenge 3 – Safety
Safety is top priority in schools, where huge volumes of children pass through school corridors and classrooms every day. Guidance for safe heating in educational establishments addresses three major safety issues for school heating: avoiding hot surfaces, avoiding sharp edges and resilience to vandalism. All appliances used in schools need to be exceptionally robust to withstand a huge volume of human traffic as well as the imaginative tampering of mischievous young people – and heating is no exception. Central heating systems rise to this challenge with large, bulky radiators made of strong materials which are very robust but often inefficient and slow to respond to heating control.
Infrared panels circumvent this problem with an innovative solution. Ultra-slim and incredibly lightweight from 3.5kg, our infrared panels can be ceiling-mounted. Placed far above the heads of students and teachers the heaters cannot be knocked accidentally and will prove difficult to tamper with. In spaces with very high ceilings such as assembly halls, gymnasiums and theatres, we can recommend our powerful Herschel industrial scale infrared heaters, which are specifically designed to provide comfort heating from a distance. This fitting strategy is also a great boon in environments where space-saving is a priority – such as in corridors which take a high volume of traffic or classrooms where wall space is at a premium.
Challenge 4 – Energy Efficiency
Heating and hot water account for up to 60% of energy consumption in schools – so in a world where school budgets are increasingly tight, finding energy efficient heating solutions that can help schools save money on this daily essential is a top priority. Infrared, as one of the most energy efficient heating solutions on the market, uses a unique form of heat generation which brings heat wastage down to an absolute minimum. Where convection heaters lose heat through draughts and the natural circulation of air, infrared radiation heats people and objects directly. Heat is absorbed and re-radiated – so that, rather than lose heat fast, your room becomes in effect a 360o radiator that needs to be topped up with heat far less often.
As a form of electric heating, infrared heaters are also a great choice when looking forward to the heating challenges of the future. As the country makes its slow shift to an energy mix with an increasingly high percentage of renewables, electric appliances are set to play a more and more significant role in home, commercial and industrial heating. Solar panels, wind turbines and most other renewable sources generate electricity – so with electric heating panels it’s finally possible to provide truly carbon free heating. With large amounts of roof space and significant energy demands schools are top of the list of public buildings which could benefit from solar panels – so this should be a serious consideration when choosing long term heating solutions for the future of your school. Especially because it’s never too early to teach our kids about sustainability and the environment.
And that’s not all…
These are just some of the benefits infrared heating can offer your school. They’re also easy to maintain, so safe that they don’t need regular servicing and they come with unlimited design options. You could disguise your heater as a work of art, an inspirational quote or an education poster – how about a periodic table that’s really an infrared heater?
The time is ripe for a revolution in school heating – so why not consider a partnership with Infrared Heaters Direct, with great deals on trade orders and expert heating advice for infrared fitting in diverse locations? In our line of work there’s nothing more satisfying than helping our customers keep comfy while cutting their heating bills – and if by doing that we can help kids to learn and teachers to inspire, we know we can be really proud.
Give us a call today on 0330 300 8383 for a free and friendly heating consultation, where our expert sales team will be only too happy to give you more information on our infrared products.
—
Eco Stores Direct are here to bring you the very latest energy news, views and opinions from across the UK. They are also suppliers of energy efficient electric heating solutions and are constantly assessing the market for the best products and the latest ground-breaking technology which they think will make a real difference to their customer’s homes. Eco Stores Direct are devoted to helping you reduce your carbon footprint and bring down your energy bills and they work hard to raise awareness of energy efficient products that can make all the difference. If you’re interested in wall mounted electric heaters or infrared panel heaters, call Infrared Heaters Direct today on 0330 300 4444 for a free assessment.