Replacement of Storage Heaters with Infra-Red Heating Heating.
When Elsenham Memorial Hall was built in 1987, ten night storage heaters were installed. While suitable at the time, these heaters proved to be highly inefficient. They generated excessive heat in the mornings and had cooled down by the evenings—precisely when heating was most needed.
These outdated heaters have now been replaced with modern ARC Thermal Solutions Infrared heating. This is comprised of 6 x ETHERMA EZ infrared heaters for the main hall & LAVA Basic 700EP infrared panels for the toilets, kitchen & other areas, complete with control systems The new infrared heating system is maintenance-free and has a projected lifespan of over 20 years.
This upgrade was made possible thanks to a £10,000 grant to Elsenham Community Association, from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The system, that can be pre-programmed and remotely monitored, was installed in January 2025 by Jarvis Electricals, a local company based in Steeple Bumpstead.
Unlike traditional systems, infrared heaters warm people and objects directly rather than the air, significantly reducing energy consumption compared to the old storage heaters they replaced. Individual thermostats can manually control the system but, as we have a Gigaclear Wi-Fi system, the target temperature is preprogrammed.
The target temperature is increased to heat the building about 15 minutes prior to the start of hire. Users can adjust the target temperature higher or lower according to their requirements. At the end of the hiring time and overnight the target temperature is reduced automatically to 14° centigrade.
The upgrade was Installed in January 2025 and Memorial Hall Hirers immediately felt the benefits.
