Infrared heating

Infrared heaters use radiant heat. Instead of primarily warming the air and circulating it around the church, they radiate heat towards people and surfaces below.

The effect is similar to feeling the warmth of the sun on a cold day: you can feel comfortable even though the surrounding air is still relatively cool.

Infrared heaters can be installed in a number of ways, including:

• suspended or chandelier-style heaters
• wall-mounted panels
• heaters positioned within the pews

Why consider infrared?

Infrared can work particularly well in large, hard-to-heat churches which are used for shorter periods of time.

Potential benefits

• Quick warmth – you do not necessarily need to heat the church for hours before a service. Infrared heat can be felt soon after the system is switched on.
• Heat where you need it – systems can be divided into zones, allowing a church to heat the congregation, a meeting area or part of the nave without heating the whole building.
• Well suited to intermittent use – for a church used for a few hours at a time, directly heating people can make much more sense than trying to raise the temperature of a large volume of air.
• A move away from fossil fuels – infrared is electrically powered and can form part of a church’s journey towards net zero carbon, particularly when combined with a renewable electricity tariff.

Churches across the Diocese of Bath and Wells are already exploring and using infrared heating in a variety of settings, giving us an increasing body of experience about what works well. We will sharing stories of there experiences soon.

Do we need permission?

Usually, alterations to the heating of a church need to be considered through the Faculty Jurisdiction. However, our Diocesan Advisory Panel (DAC) has developed an Additional Matters Order (AMO) for qualifying infrared heating installations. Where a proposal meets the requirements of the AMO, it can provide a simpler and more proportionate permissions route than applying for a full faculty.

The AMO includes safeguards around matters such as the type and positioning of heaters, fixings, electrical installation, heritage impact and monitoring.

Using the AMO does not mean that anything goes. Your proposal still needs to meet its conditions and go through the required consultation and approval process. Where a proposal falls outside those conditions – for example because of its impact on significant historic fabric – a full faculty may still be needed.

Thinking about infrared?

Speak to the Church Buildings Adviser or Net Zero Project Lead before commissioning a system or agreeing a final design. We can help you think through whether infrared is appropriate, what permissions are likely to be required and what we have learnt from other churches in the diocese.