Heating a large, commercial space such as a factory or warehouse can be an expensive business. Vast open spaces are notoriously difficult to heat and maintain a consistent temperature, so you’ll want to make sure that you do everything you can to achieve this. With a few simple steps and possible changes to the way your current heating system runs, you can drastically improve the efficiency of your heating to make sure you’re getting the most out of it.
There’s really no point paying so much money to improve your heating situation when a few simple changes to the business surroundings or the way the heaters are operated can improve the heating in the workplace. So, before you go rushing off to buy another heater or crank up the temperature too high, here are a few ways you can get the most out of your current heating system.
Consistent Temperature
Keeping the warehouse/factory at a consistent temperature is the most energy-efficient way to warm the space. Fiddling with the settings and temperature controls all day is not only distracting, but it will put some workers in a bad mood, as the temperature constantly fluctuates and never remains constant. Find a temperature that everyone is happy with, you can familiarise yourself with the laws regarding heating in the workplace, and keep it set to that temperature throughout the entire working day to keep those energy bills down and those hands off the thermostat.
Divide the Space
If your workplace consists of many rooms and floors, you probably have multiple heaters throughout the building to warm all these spaces. However, it’s worth considering whether it’s cost efficient to heat all of these spaces every day, especially if certain rooms don’t get used as often as others. For spaces that are infrequently used, keep the heating off except when needed. Consider switching around how your building spaces are used to free up areas that are costly to heat so you can save money by not heating those specific rooms.
Timers
Heaters all tend to have remote controls these days, and they can be set on timers to turn on and off at certain times of the day. If you’re not doing so already, you should be programming your heaters in the most efficient way possible. Have them programmed to switch on just before the working day starts, to heat up the space ready for your workforce, so they don’t become tempted to crank up the heating if it’s too cold when they arrive. Also have them programmed to stay off at night and at the weekends to save on energy.
Insulation
You shouldn’t expect your heaters to do 100% of the work to heat your building; 40% of heat can be lost through doors and windows, and cranking the temperature up is not an efficient way to combat this. Instead, put a few simple measures in place to prevent this heat loss. Get some draught excluders for all of the doors, seal up any gaps in the windows and, if possible, get double glazing fitted on all of the windows to prevent heat loss. Your heaters will work more efficiently in an environment where heat is less likely to be wasted.
Heater Placement
For a factory or warehouse floor with one big, open space, consider implementing partitions. Tall features, such as racking, could be placed more strategically to create barriers to trap the heat from certain heaters. Use the contents of your warehouse/factory to create ‘rooms’ that can be heated more efficiently. Multiple heaters can then be used in this kind of environment in a more efficient way, all programmed to a lower temperature so that they can work together to create a sufficiently warm environment, rather than trying to heat the entire open space from one heater turned up to full blast.
Heating Maintenance
One way that your heating might not be being used in an efficient way is if it’s in need of maintenance. Heaters that aren’t working properly should be fixed as soon as possible to prevent problems from getting worse. If you’re looking for commercial heating maintenance services, contact Heritage Heating and Cooling today. Our trained professionals always endeavour to complete any industrial heating repairs as quickly as possible to ensure that you and your team can get back to work.
