We were delighted to welcome over fifty visitors to Old Saint Paul’s church near Waverly Station in Edinburgh for our Open Church Event. Old Saint Paul’s has recently swapped its old gas boiler for a system of radiant heaters. The new heaters include radiant chandeliers in the nave, wall-mounted radiant heaters in the two chapels, and under pew heaters in the choir stalls.
Despite being a mild day in March, the building felt cold on arrival, as expected with large stone buildings. However, when the radiant chandeliers were switched on, the thermal comfort was felt instantly.
Unlike warm air systems, radiant heating systems heat surfaces and objects instead of the air itself. This means that heat is directed to where it is needed instead of being dispersed into a large and often draughty space.
As we were all taught at school, warm air rises, so heat loss can be considerable in buildings with high ceilings and restricted insulation options. The radiant heating avoids this high level of heat loss and enables efficient levels of thermal comfort in a building that is used intermittently.
The Open Church Event started with time to look around the church, followed by Eucharist led by Father John McLuckie. After this there was plenty of time to spend in discussion over tea, coffee and cake. Many thanks to Coffee Saints – the social enterprise café which is part of the Grassmarket Community in Edinburgh – for providing us with delicious cakes.
During the discussions we heard from Dave Tyrer, a representative from Electric Heating Solutions, who installed the radiant heating system. We also heard from Mark Gibson, property convenor at Old Saint Paul’s who was involved in the project. There was a useful Q&A session, and the day concluded with an inspiring buzz of potential.
Upcoming Open Church Event
We are excited to be organising another Open Church Event at Saint Andrew’s church in St Andrews, showcasing their solar panels. This will take place on Friday 25th April and will include lunch.
Please email Jack Nevin to register if possible, so we have an idea of numbers. More information can be found here.
Bethany Nelson, Empowerment Coordinator
