Cancer Research

Building Type: Retail shop in a terraced parade
Concrete block & frame construction with limited insulation and flat roof
Ground floor – Double glazed shop front First Floor – Single glazed roof lights and windows

Why Involve Herschel?

• The client’s FM adviser was instructed to review how to reduce heating costs and provide more effective heating solutions for the retail estate
• Herschel were approached to see how their Far Infrared heaters could achieve this
• In this unit, the heating for staff and customers was not effective or sufficient. Staff were commenting that they were cold
• The first floor sorting room would only reach 5oc on colder days
• The main entrance is continually opened and closed creating challenges for heating the main shop floor
• Existing heating not zoned or thermostatically controlled
• Large amounts of air were heated for long periods at significant cost. A comfortably heated environment was still not achieved
• Client estimated existing heaters were on up to 9hrs per day
• Existing heaters create a maintenance problem across the estate with annual maintenance costs and a number of heaters needing to be replaced
• The subject property had one heater out of action on survey

Existing Heating / Estimated Additional Existing Heater Type Required

Area		Heater Type		Existing Heater Number		Existing Heater Output (kW)		Estimate of Additional Existing Heater Type Required (kW)
1st Floor Sorting Room		3kW Convector Heater		2		6		2 x 2kW = 4
Ground Floor Shop		3kW Convector Heater		3		9		2 x 3kW = 6
Ground Floor Office		3.5kW Fan Heater		1		3.50		1 x 2kW = 2
Total				6		18.50		12.00
Estimate of Total Convector Heater Output Required (correctly specified)								18.50 existing plus 12.00 additional (5 heaters) = 30.50kW (specified at correct required output)

 

The Herschel Infrared Solution

• Install sufficient infrared heaters to create a comfortably heated environment
• Achieve this by heating the fabric of the building and increasing the thermal mass rather than just heating the air
• Heating the thermal mass will help maintain temperatures, even with the front door opening and closing, and enables the building to retain the heat for longer and radiate this back
• Control the Infrared heaters with Salus wireless thermostats to create three heating zones (Two zones Ground Floor, One zone First floor)
• Thermostats set to provide heating to 20oC for an estimated 6hrs per day for 180 days p.a.
• New infrared heaters were mounted next to existing heaters on the walls
• Client requested that existing heaters remained in place while testing the infrared heaters. Otherwise, the infrared heaters would have replaced existing heaters in the same locations or been installed close to them if the location was not appropriate
• Installation time was within 1 working day
• Estimates of improved efficiency and reduced costs for total energy consumed (see below)
• Improved comfort levels for staff and customers
• No maintenance or servicing of the infrared heaters once installed.

 

Area		New Herschel Infrared Heaters Installed		Heater Numbers		Heater Output (kW)
1st Floor Sorting Room		1950W Silver		3		5.85
Ground Floor Shop		1950W Silver		3		5.85
Ground Floor Office		1300W Silver		1		1.3
Total				7		13.00

 

Energy Consumption Comparison and Estimate of Savings

Consumption		Current		Herschel Infrared*		Savings		% Saving**
kW/hrs		Electric – 30.50 kW/h (see notes above: assumes extra heaters installed on existing system) (heaters on 9hrs a day for 180 days pa) = 49,410 kW/hrs pa		13 kW/h (heaters on 6hrs per day for 180 days pa) = 14,040 kW/hrs pa		17.50 kW/h 35,370 kW/hrs pa		72%
Costs **		£5,435		£1,544		£3,891 savings pa after supply and install cost		72%
Note: 72% saving is a reduction based on Herschel far infrared when compared to the ‘correctly specified’ convection solution. Compared to the actual convection heating, incorrectly specified at 18.50kW, the saving is 53%.

 

Payback using Herschel Solution *
Estimated Payback Period for supply and install cost	7.06 months
Note: 7.06 months payback is based on Herschel far infrared compared to the ‘correctly specified’ convection solution. Compared to the actual convection heating, incorrectly specified at 18.50kW, the payback is 16 months.

 

% Reduction in Kg CO2e & Kg Carbon***		Current		Herschel		Savings pa		% Savings pa **
Emissions Kg CO2e		22,837		6,489		16,348		72%
Emissions Kg Carbon		6,234		1,772		4,462		72%

 

Further Developments

The charity has now installed Herschel Infrared heaters in a number of other UK locations in Scotland, Greater London, East Anglia and the South Coast. A selection of Herschel heaters is being installed, depending on the store specification, including space heaters and Select suspended ceiling panels.
These units are being monitored for their energy consumption and to demonstrate the energy savings for Herschel heaters over the traditional convector heaters that were in place. The Herschel heaters offer additional benefits with no annual maintenance costs, improved comfort levels and flexible control and management of the heating system.
If the savings expected are realised, it is anticipated that the heating technology will be used as a core part of their energy savings initiative across the wider portfolio.

*Estimates from charity store and their FM adviser based on 6 hours of intended use for Herschel Infrared heaters for 180 heating days per annum
**Unit price assumed £0.11 per kW/h excluding daily standing charge. % Savings are rounded & all figures exclusive of VAT
*** (Using Carbon Calculator www.carbon-calculator.org.uk)