Shortwave Radiant Heating at Museum in London London
Project Type
Performance-Space Heating
The Project
A museum with an open-door policy was struggling to maintain a comfortable temperature for customers and staff during the colder months. The area consisted of a welcome desk, shop and restaurant, all open to each other, with a large double entrance door remaining open throughout the day.
The constantly open entrance made conventional heating particularly challenging, as warm air was continually lost to the outside. The heating solution therefore needed to provide effective warmth without relying on the building retaining heated air.
Quartz heaters provide instant comfort heat even when doors are open.
Project Summary
A combination of 1.5kW, 2kW and 3kW shortwave infrared heaters was specified throughout the museum, providing direct radiant heat to customers and staff across the welcome, retail and restaurant areas.
The heaters were fitted with our Magic Lamp technology, which significantly reduces the bright red glow normally associated with halogen infrared heaters. Instead, the heaters produce only a barely perceptible pink glow, making them particularly suitable for the museum environment.
The Specification
Shortwave infrared heating was selected because it heats people and surfaces directly rather than attempting to raise the temperature of the surrounding air. This made it particularly well suited to the open-plan environment, where warm air could not be retained effectively due to the constantly open entrance.
The heaters were positioned to provide targeted coverage across the areas occupied by customers and staff, delivering immediate radiant heat where it was needed. This allowed the museum to maintain comfortable conditions within the occupied areas without needing to heat the entire volume of air.
The Units Specified
A combination of 1.5kW, 2kW and 3kW shortwave infrared heaters was used, with the different outputs selected to suit the size and layout of the individual areas.
The heaters were suspended at high level across the welcome desk, shop and restaurant areas, with their beam directed towards the occupied spaces below.
All of the heaters were fitted with our Magic Lamp technology. This reduces the visible red light produced by the halogen elements to a subtle pink glow, helping the installation blend into the museum environment while retaining the immediate radiant heat associated with shortwave infrared.
A Successful Installation
The heating system has worked extremely well, including through the coldest months of the year, providing the warmth needed for customers and staff despite the constantly open entrance.
Following the success of the original installation, several more heaters have since been installed elsewhere within the museum. Feedback has been excellent, with the system providing an effective and practical solution while remaining a really tidy installation that fits well within the environment and meets the heating requirements perfectly.
This installation ensures staff can work efficiently and comfortably throughout the year.
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