Pew heating

For churches with pews, this type of localised heating can provide a simple and responsive alternative to whole-building heating. Pew heating is a form of localised or ‘people heating’. Rather than trying to raise the temperature of the whole church, heat is concentrated around occupied seating. There are several different approaches:

• Under-pew heating – electric heaters are installed beneath fixed pews, providing warmth around the legs and lower body. They heat up quickly and can usually be divided into zones, allowing only the pews being used to be switched on.
• Wired heated cushions – electrically heated cushions or pads can be fitted to pews or chairs and connected to a fixed electrical supply. These provide warmth through direct contact with the person sitting on them.
• Battery-powered heated cushions – rechargeable cushions provide the same principle of direct personal warmth without permanent electrical cabling to every seat. They can be moved around the church and charged between uses.

Why consider pew heating?

Pew heating can be particularly effective in large churches which are used intermittently and where the congregation occupies a relatively small area of the building.

Potential benefits

• Quick warmth – under-pew heaters and heated cushions can provide warmth soon after they are switched on, reducing the need for hours of pre-heating.
• Heat people rather than empty space – energy can be concentrated around the congregation rather than used to heat the entire volume of the church.
• Simple zoning – different banks or rows of pews can be controlled separately, so you only heat the areas being used.
• A move away from fossil fuels – pew heating is electrically powered and can form part of a church’s journey towards net zero carbon, particularly when supplied using renewable electricity.

What should we think about?

Churches around the country are already using localised pew heating as an alternative to heating the entire church. We will be sharing some stories of churches around our diocese that are using it soon. However, pew heating is not right for every church. Its greatest strength – concentrating warmth around occupied seats – also means that it does not necessarily make the whole building feel warm. In some churches, pew heating can form part of a combined approach, alongside another form of localised or background heating.

The starting point should always be how your church is used and where people actually need to feel warm.

Do we need permission?

Pew heating can often follow a simpler permissions route than other new heating systems.

Electric heaters attached to pews dating from 1850 onwards, where the pews are not considered to be of historic interest, can normally be considered as a List B matter. This means a full faculty is not usually required, although you will need the written approval of the Archdeacon following consultation with the DAC.

Battery-powered heated pew cushions involve very little physical intervention and may also be relatively straightforward from a permissions perspective.

Where a proposal affects significant or older pews, involves substantial new wiring, permanent fixtures, changes to historic floors or other alterations to the church fabric, further assessment may be required and a full faculty may be necessary. We are working to make the approval process for straightforward pew-heating projects as simple as possible.

Thinking about pew heating?

Speak to the Church Buildings Advisor 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.