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A ceiling heater freeing up wall space in a charity shop in Cricklewood, London

Heating Shops

High street shops require reliable heating systems to maintain a comfortable working environment for staff and to provide a warm welcome for customers. Occasionally, there is also a need to protect stock against the adverse effects of cold temperatures. 

Invariably wall and floor space is at a premium meaning that the preferred location for heaters is wall-mounted at a high level or on the ceiling.

Over door heaters

Over-door heaters are commonly used in shops to create a warm welcome for customers and to combat draught when doors open. BN Thermic has developed two ranges of over-door heaters and one range of 3-phase air curtains to ensure we have the right product for you. 

800 Series Over Door Heaters – Click for info
Creates warm entrance for customers
Used in: Cafes, shops and entrances to hotels, offices and schools.

CA Commercial Air Curtains – Click for info
Higher air velocity than the 800 series so more suited to frequently open-door premises  
Used in: Same as above

HCA2 3 Phase Air Curtains – Click for info
Reduces heat loss by creating an invisible barrier to keep warm air in the premises  
Used in: Supermarkets, large DIY stores and distribution centres

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Ceiling grid heaters provide years of maintenance-free comfort heat 

Ceiling Mounted Heaters

When a ceiling grid has been installed, BN Thermic’s 600 x 600 ceiling grid heaters are a simple maintenance-free means of heating any sized shop. The heaters are designed to sit in a grid ceiling and provide gentle fan-assisted heat.

Click here for full details of BN Thermic’s range of 600 x 600 ceiling grid heaters

Surface Mount Heaters

For shops with solid ceilings, BN Thermic’s surface mount fan heaters are an ideal space heating solution. Surface mount heaters provide gentle fan-assisted heat and can be easily installed onto a ceiling or suspended on drop rods.

Click here for full details of BN Thermic’s range of surface-mount ceiling heaters

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SMH’s low profile design is only 152mm in height making them very unobtrusive. Seen here in a shop in North Wales

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Recessed heaters are designed for quick, easy install into shops with plasterboard ceilings

Recessed Fan Heaters

BN Thermic’s recessed fan heaters can be used to space heat or as an over-door heater if there is limited height above a shop’s door. The heaters are designed for quick, easy installation into plasterboard ceilings.

Click here for full details of BN Thermic’s range of recessed ceiling heaters

System X For Multi Shop Heater Installs

One key aspect of shop heating projects is the need for speedy installation.  With this in mind, BN Thermic has introduced a range of heaters and controls known as System X specifically designed for shop heating.  System X allows any combination of overdoor, ceiling grid, surface-mount or recessed heaters to be linked in a control daisy chain to a single controller. 

Click here for full details of BN Thermic’s System X

Diagram

SystemX slashes installation time! Multiple heaters connected via Cat5 cable and controlled from a single point – ideal for shop fitters 

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An example of a shop heating design done by a BN Thermic engineer 

Designing a Shop Heating System

Selecting the right shop heating system can be tricky and a lot of thought has to go into it. To ensure the right system is quoted, BN Thermic’s engineers offer a free-of-charge design service for any sized shop or retail unit. 

Call BN Thermic today on 01293 547 361 to discuss a shop heating project. 

FAQs

  • For simplicity, we will divide the answer to this question into three sections: capital cost, installation cost and running costs. We have assumed that we are dealing with a conventional, single-story, high-street shop – for larger premises there will be other considerations and we strongly suggest that you call BN Thermic to discuss your specific requirements.

    Capital Costs

    The first consideration is to select a reliable shop heating manufacturer. Cheap imported options may look attractive but selecting an unreliable heating system from a company without a track record of providing excellent customer support is a false economy.

    Secondly, you will need to select the most appropriate technology.  For most high street shops, we suggest electric fan heaters such as our SCHG ceiling heaters. Fan heaters of this type provide excellent value for money as a single, compact heater can provide an output of up to 6kW.  The most obvious alternative to fan haters is to install infrared radiant ceiling panels such as our RP3 range. This style of heating is always recommended where the noise associated with fan heaters is unacceptable but, as the output from each heater is significantly lower, the capital cost is inevitably higher.

    Installation Costs

    A well-designed heating system with all the required control devices incorporated will keep installation time to a minimum.  BN Thermic’s SystemX range is ideal for shop heating and was specifically developed to meet this requirement. Rather than relying on the installer to design a control system and to provide an array of external components (such as thermostats, contactors and junction boxes), SystemX ensures error-free, super-fast, plug-and-play installation. Heating control is provided by a single, wall-mounted controller and all control connections are using data cable. This means that rather than spending many hours connecting individual cables to a series of terminal blocks, the installer just has to ‘click’ a few data cable plugs into the ports provided in the controller and the heaters.

    Running Costs

    Ever-increasing electricity prices mean that limiting running costs is a critical consideration. Every possible measure should be taken to reduce heat loss from the premises including keeping doors and windows shut whenever possible, insulating suspended ceilings, fitting secondary glazing etc.

    Focussing more on the shop heating system itself, accurate electronic thermostatic control will also help to limit running costs. This can be provided by a device such as the SystemX CX6 programmable thermostat. The CX6 combines very accurate temperature control with a 7-day programmable timer, eliminating the possibility of the heating system being left ‘on’ outside business hours. The CX6 also offers three additional energy-saving features.  

    • Screen locks prevent unauthorised personnel from adjusting temperature set points
    • The adaptive start feature reduces heat-up times by calculating at what time the heating system needs to be switched ‘on’ to achieve the desired temperature.
    • Logical heat control reduces heater output as the temperature nears the temperature set-point and in doing so prevents excessive temperature overshoot.