DIY Heating Survey for Churches
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Fixed Heating
Links
For essential
background
information read the
“Radiant Heating for
Churches” paper
available for
download from the
DIY Sustainability
Surveys page of the
Cherished Earth
website
☐ Fixed Heating
present
Type of Heating
Survey - Click on box if it applies to room or area
Note that the location and
☐ Heat level inadequate for
orientation of heaters also
needs of occupants
affects their ability to
usefully heat a room
☐ Running costs are of concern
See Improve Efficiencies
section below
☐ Condition of Fixed
heaters
☐ Age of heaters
☐ Condition of heaters
☐ Condition of wall /clg./ support
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☐ Fixed Electric
Radiant Heating
☐ Medium Wave Radiant
☐ Long Wave Radiant (Black)
☐ Radiant Convector
☐ Radiant low wattage Under
Pew heating
☐ Night Store Radiant
All Radiant heating
produces approximately
one unit of heat for every
unit of electricity input
Links
EECA Energywise
home heating
'Consumer' electric
heaters overview
The “Radiant
Heating for
Churches” paper
has pros and cons of
different types of
heating
☐ Fixed Gas Radiant
Heating
Action
Assess needs and for large installations
engage a heating engineer to assess level
of heat required and cost of options,
including running costs and the type of
heating that suits the space best
Identify the proportion of electricity / gas bill
that is being used for winter heating
Upgrade to modern heating units to
achieve maximum energy efficiency
Ensure that the type of heating produced
by the heaters suits the location in which
the heaters are used – see the “Radiant
Heating for Churches” paper and Links
Requires ventilation (eg.flued) to remove toxins caused by combustion.
Gas can be cost effective but the burning of fossil fuels is incompatible
with efforts to mitigate against climate change
☐ Fixed Electric Heat
Pumps
Electricity savings are reduced if
Heat Pumps are used for cooling
in summer
☐ Other Fixed Heating
Not covered by survey
EECA Energywise Heat Pump running
Heat Pumps produce in
cost calculator
excess of 3 units of heat
for every unit of electricity EECA Energywise Energy Star Rated
Heat Pumps
input
Low pressure hot water radiators, electric wired floor or ceiling heaters
Portable Heating
Type of Portable
Heating
Survey - Click on box if it applies to room or area
☐ Portable Heating
☐ Heat level inadequate for
present
needs of occupants
☐ Running costs are of concern
Action
Use survey to assess needs and
alternatives
See Improve Efficiencies section below
☐ Condition of Portable
heaters
☐ Age of heaters
☐ Condition of heaters
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☐ Portable Electric
Radiant Heating
☐ Short Wave Radiant
☐ Medium Wave Radiant
☐ Long Wave Radiant
Upgrade to modern heating appliances to
achieve maximum energy efficiency
☐ Radiant Fan
☐ Low wattage Radiant Panel
heater
Halogen heaters
Normal bar type heaters
Micathermic heaters and
some Panel heaters
Oil column and convector
heaters
Fan and ceramic heaters
Low watts mean low heat
output as still only 1 for 1
High levels of toxins and
water are released into
the air on combustion
Remove unflued gas heaters and replace
with environmentally friendly heaters
Links
EECA Energywise
electric heating
☐ Radiant Convector
'Consumer' electric
heaters overview choosing a heater
Ensure that the type of heating produced
by the heaters suits the location in which
the heaters are used – see the “Radiant
Heating for Churches” paper and Links
UNSW personal
heater tutorial
☐ Portable (unflued)
Gas Radiant Heating
EECA Energywise home
heating - negatives associated
with portable unflued gas heaters
Improved efficiency
through
☐ Ability to reduce heat
level / wattage
☐ No variable heat level /
wattage capability
Ensure new appliances have the ability to
reduce the heat output
☐ Timers
☐ No timers present
☐ Timers not set to optimise
Install timer switches
Set timers to optimise efficiency of heaters
by coinciding with room use and need
Ensure timers allow for variations in
occupancy use, days of week and seasons
with manual override ability
☐ Timers allow for variations
☐ Thermostats
☐ No thermostats present
☐ Temperatures not set to
optimise
☐ Thermostats not in best
location
Install thermostat switches or ensure
portable heating has a built in thermostat
Set thermostats to optimise efficiency,
allowing for seasonal variations
Locate thermostats away from heat source
and open doors
Improved efficiency
through
☐ Switching
Survey - Click on box if it applies to room or area
☐ Single Switch
☐ Switched in banks
☐ Sections inappropriate
☐ labelling poor
☐ Optimising
Operations
☐ Heaters left on when room not
in use
☐ Too much heat for number of
people meeting in room
☐ Time of day and location for
meetings
☐ No Heating survey routine
☐ No Heating maintenance
routine
Action
Consider switching in banks if suitable
Optimise section switching to suit use
Add or improve labelling to optimise use
Install timers as above
Delegate responsibility to check that
heaters are off at the end of the day
Install thermostats as above
Schedule meetings where room size
matches meeting size
Move meeting times and locations to
optimise natural heating from the sun
Set up a Heating survey schedule
Set up a Heating maintenance schedule
☐ Minimising draughts
☐ Draughts are impacting on the
comfort of room users
Identify gaps where draughts are cooling
the space eg. around doors and windows
and install draught stripping. Install draught
lobbies and / or self-closers on doors
☐ Adding insulation to
the building
☐ The room ceiling is not
insulated
☐ The room outside walls are
not insulated
☐ The room floor is not insulated
Insulation of old buildings to reduce heat loss is best assessed by a
professional in the industry. In the case of old, uninsulated auditoriums
and halls, it is not cost effective to insulate if the space is used
intermittently for a low number of hours per week. However office
spaces and childcare facilities which are used for a long number of
hours per week are good candidates for insulation.
Insulating windows with thick lined thermal curtains (not just vinyl
backed fabric) is a good option for rooms used often for night meetings.
Double glazing may be considered but needs to be cost effective.
Skylights and old downlights in ceilings also cause substantial heat loss.
☐ The room windows have no
thick thermal curtains / blinds
☐ Other related issues
Not covered by survey
Humidity levels, fire hazards and natural heating from the sun
(influenced by external shading and thermal mass of the building) are
examples of other issues that affect the amount of energy needed to
heat a space