Situated on a coastal strip between New Romney and Dymchurch, The Parish of All Saints, St Mary’s Bay, Kent is one of the eight parishes forming the Benefice of Romney Marsh. The church building does not fit into the traditional medieval mould and was built in 1938/9, to meet the needs of a growing population. It is in a sound condition and once inside, one can only be struck by the beauty of its simplicity
All Saints is one of only two churches in the Benefice with its own church hall. This was built in 1949/50. It is well looked after and is used by community groups every day of the week for morning coffee, the Rotary Club, Scouts, Cubs, Bingo and other community activities.
The church hall has a foyer, toilets, a main room (that has a high ceiling) with a stage area and a kitchen.
Church Committee and Hall Committee member Phil Bowman takes up the story. “Previously, we had electric radiators on the walls at knee level. You only felt warm when you were next to them. We began to think about heating costs over the long term and we decided to investigate the options that were available.
Savings on our heating bill
“We searched online and found ARC Thermal on page one of Google. Their case studies were helpful as we could relate to other halls with similar requirements to ours. We particularly liked the fact that savings of up to 30% could be made on our heating costs.
“I sent an email and ARC Thermal was quick to respond. They were helpful and thorough in their approach. They asked lots of questions and we sent them measurements and photographs.
“They sent us a detailed proposal which I put forward to the Hall Committee. There were a number of questions from our side which ARC Thermal responded to. At this stage, the Committee was happy to proceed.”
Infrared Heating Solution in Detail
Main Hall: 8 x EEZ-1600 – Radiant ceiling heaters. The EZ model is intended for total and supplementary heating as well as protection against cold draughts from windows. Radiant heaters provide a soft, pleasant heat. Individual comfort can be created with spot and zone heating. No moving parts mean a silent system that does not cause air movements. A hygienic indoor climate is created where the spread of dust, bacteria or odours is reduced.
Radiant heaters require a minimum of maintenance. Ceiling mounting leaves the walls free and increases safety. They give instant heat and the room temperature can be reduced with maintained comfort.
Kitchen: 1 x LAVA-BASIC-700EP – In ceiling Infrared heating panel.
The LAVA BASIC-EP is suitable for heating from the ceiling as well as from the wall.
The LAVA BASIC-EP is a 20 mm flat infrared heater that delivers a uniform infrared heat.
Mounted on the ceiling, in suspended ceilings or on the wall, the heaters are ideally suited for full area heating or zone heating.
The kitchen is an important room in the hall and it is used every day.
Wireless Controls with on/off Site Control. The wireless control system allows you to regulate the temperature in rooms whilst giving overall control to the administrator. The system comprises an IP Hub which connects to a wireless router giving both on and off site control on smart devices via a free App (unlimited users).
A wireless wall-mounted thermostat is located in each heating zone to regulate the temperature accurately and give the occupants the ability to adjust temperature to ensure that they always feel comfortable. At the end of the programmed period, any changes made will revert back to the pre-programmed temperature, thereby preventing any unnecessary heating.
We installed the new heating system ourselves
“I have an electrical engineering background,” Phil Bowman continued, “and we did the installation ourselves, using rented scaffolding. All of the cabling is tucked away in the ceiling void. At the same time, we changed the ceiling fluorescent light fittings using new 40 watt LED T Bar panel fittings.”
“Once complete, we had it all checked professionally. The eigDownload Infrared Village Hall Heating Case Studyht ARC Thermal units up in the ceiling as well as the unit in the kitchen were all fine.
“Running costs are our big thing. Previously, the electric radiators used 2KW of power. This has been reduced to 1.4KW using the ARC Thermal products.
“Using wifi, I can sit at home and use the app on my smartphone to keep an eye on things and adjust the settings. I don’t have to go to the hall to change the heating. It is all programmed now, so it is all automatic although I can override this if required. It is just great and a good example of the benefits of using new technology.
“The ARC Thermal products are terrific and everyone says how good the new system is. It all works really well,” Phil Bowman concluded.
