The Challenge
Scottish Badminton required a replacement heating system after their dated existing flueless gas-fired radiant heating system had become unreliable and increasingly expensive to repair.
The sports hall presented an additional challenge. With six individual badminton courts and the venue being used for competitive badminton, the heating system needed to provide effective warmth without creating excessive air movement that could potentially affect shuttlecock flight and playing conditions.
The existing hall also had no natural ventilation, so this needed to be addressed as part of the new installation.
Finding the Right Heating Solution
We considered two options for the sports hall:
A warm air gas-fired heating and destratification system
A modern radiant heating system
Although a warm air system could provide effective heating, the movement of air made it less suitable for a competitive badminton environment.
Radiant heating provided a better solution by delivering heat without relying on significant air circulation.
Another important consideration was how the six courts were used. The customer needed the flexibility to heat only the courts in use, rather than heating the entire sports hall when only some courts were occupied.
The Solution
We installed six Powrmatic radiant heaters, with each heater serving an individual badminton court.
This gave Scottish Badminton the flexibility to heat individual courts as required, helping avoid unnecessary heating of unoccupied areas and providing a more efficient way of managing the sports hall’s heating.
As badminton players can become warm relatively quickly during play, the system was also designed with individual run-on-timer push-button controls. Each push of the button provides 30 minutes of heating, giving players and venue staff simple control over when additional heat is required.
To meet the customer’s budget requirements, the decision was made to retain the heaters as a flueless system. As there was no existing natural ventilation, we incorporated ventilation grilles around the sports hall to provide the necessary ventilation.
The result is a flexible heating system that can be operated on a court-by-court basis, while minimising unnecessary air movement and energy use.
Installation Around a Busy Sports Schedule
The installation had to be carefully planned around Scottish Badminton’s existing commitments.
During the project, the venue was being used as a training facility for the World Badminton Tour tournament taking place in Scotland. This meant our team had to work around agreed dates and access times to ensure the installation could be completed safely without disrupting training sessions.
The Result
The project was completed on schedule in November, ahead of the colder winter weather.
Scottish Badminton now has a modern, flexible radiant heating system specifically designed around the way its six-court sports hall operates.
6 × Powrmatic SRP radiant u tube heaters installed
Individual heating for each of the six badminton courts
Individual run-on-time push-button controls
30 minutes of heating per button press
Radiant heating selected to minimise air movement
Ventilation grilles installed to support the flueless system
Flexible heating without needing to heat unused courts
Installation coordinated around international tournaments and training
Project completed safely and on schedule ahead of winter
A Heating Solution Designed Around the Venue
This project demonstrates the importance of designing a sports hall heating system around the way a venue is actually used.
For Scottish Badminton, the solution needed to provide reliable heating while maintaining suitable playing conditions, controlling costs and allowing individual courts to be heated when required.
By combining Powrmatic radiant heaters, individual court controls and a 30-minute timed heating function, we delivered a practical and flexible heating solution tailored specifically to the demands of a busy competitive badminton venue.
