Key points summary
- The problem: Warehouses often feel cold even with heating running full time.
- The solutions: Destratification fans can recover lost heat from the ceiling; air curtains can compensate for heat lost in open doorways; larger heating systems can comfortably heat large buildings.
- The benefits: Installing destratification fans and air curtains improves energy efficiency and recovers lost heat. When alone this isn’t sufficient to efficiently heat a warehouse, a larger heating system is needed.
Warehouse can be notoriously difficult to heat. Some business owners find that, even with the heating running flat out and causing high energy bills, their warehouse remains stubbornly cold.
Whilst a poorly maintained or outdated heating system could be the culprit, heat can be still be lost in warehouses with newer heating for a number of other reasons.
1. Heat lost in the ceiling
If your warehouse feels cold at floor level, heat lost in high ceilings is the most common and likely cause. Warm air rises, meaning the air your heating system works to warm can simply drift up and collect at roof level. This is why, even when the thermostat is cranked up and your heating is working hard, a warehouse can still feel cold.
Solution: Destratification fans
Destratification fans are an essential part of any warehouse heating system; at Heritage, we almost always recommend them to our customers. These fans are installed into high ceilings and push the warm air that gathers at roof level back down towards the floor and working levels, where people in the building can feel the benefit.
There are multiple benefits to installing destratification fans in a warehouse:
- Energy efficient: Recovering lost heat means you won’t need to run your heating as hard, reducing energy consumption by as much as 15% – which is great for net zero strategies too.
- Money saving: Running your heating less naturally means a reduction in energy bills.
- Reinvest in better heating: If an outdated heating system is partly to blame for your warehouse feeling cold, the money saved using destratification fans can be reinvested in getting the right commercial heating for your property.
2. Large doors left open
At busy warehouses with goods flowing in and out, large loading bay doors are frequently left open for long periods. In cold weather, this can lead to warm air escaping your building and cold air coming in. This will quickly overwhelm your heating system, and even running the heating continuously won’t stop your building getting cold.
Solution: Air curtains
Air curtains are fan-powered units installed over doorways. They work by creating a warm air barrier between the inside and outside of a building. This barrier counteracts the heat lost when large loading bay doors are left open.
Other benefits of installing air curtains above large exterior doors include:
- Better air quality: The warm air curtain also acts as a repellent to dust, insects, and pollutants, which improves the interior air quality of your warehouse.
- Improved energy efficiency: Air curtains automatically adjust their output to account for changes in temperature. This means both your heating system and air curtains don’t consume energy unnecessarily, improving energy efficiency and your building’s EPC rating.
- Increased productivity: Large doors can now be left open for extended periods without making your warehouse freezing cold, improving workflow and productivity when it comes loading and unloading.
3. An undersized heating system
Destratification fans and air curtains are always a good addition to any warehouse heating system. However, they will not be able to have the impact they should if your warehouse heaters are too small for the building they are in.
If your heating is running continuously and never reaching the temperature you want – even if you’re no longer losing heat through the ceiling and doors – it’s a sure sign your heating system is undersized.
Solution: Larger heating system
A bigger heating system is needed to keep your building at a constant, comfortable temperature. Depending on the system you already have, this could simply mean installing additional heating units. If your system is outdated or unserviceable, it will likely mean getting a new system entirely.
Booking a free site survey with Heritage is the best way to get the ball rolling. Our Industrial Gas Safe qualified engineers based in the Midlands will visit your warehouse and assess your specific requirements. We’ll then provide a full, detailed quote for the heating solution that is best suited to your premises and needs – all at no cost to you.
