Heating - lessons in economy

Educational buildings often have to be versatile, each one demanding a different level of comfort heating. How can this be achieved without breaking the budget?

From timetabled lessons to exams to sports - educational buildings often have to be versatile enough to accommodate a variety of uses, each one demanding a different level of comfort heating.

How can this be achieved without breaking the budget?.

Howard Marfleet, Busines Development Manager of Ambi-Rad, explains.

Budgets - beating them and breaking them - are high on any educational establishment's agenda.

Heating is an unavoidable overhead, yet crucial enough that it can determine not only the comfort level of rooms but also the level of productivity generated within them.

Lack of adequate heating will force the temporary closure of most educational buildings.

But heating can be one of the highest on-going costs a school or college has to face.

Little wonder some institutions are lengthening the winter holiday break to shave a fraction off fuel bills.

More sustainable economy in heating is a desirable goal, providing comfort is not compromised.

But this can be hard to attain - unless the right heating system for the job is installed.

There are a number of space heating options available, depending on the nature of the building to be heated.

For example, warm air heating, fired by natural gas, is a highly economical form of heating large space and therefore particularly appropriate for many teaching environments - for example, in workshops, where subtle all-round warmth must be achieved without perceptible air movement so that students and teachers are not distracted.

Gyms and fitness suites have to be kept warm and also well-ventilated, while indoor swimming pool environments must be condensation-free to ensure both warmth and safety for users.

Sports halls may be heated with highly economical gas-fired radiant tube heating.

This system works like the sun, emitted infra-red rays that warm only people and objects in their path.

No energy is wasted heating the volume of air in the building, yet occupants (whether active or sedentary) feel comfortably warm.

One of the main advantages of radiant heating in this setting is safety.

The heaters are mounted overhead, well out of range of people and sports equipment.

They can also be covered with safety grilles to protect them from high flying balls or shuttlecocks.

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