The Challenge
EVOVE had moved into a new, modern factory in Widnes approximately a year earlier. However, the building had no heating system, and staff had experienced uncomfortable working conditions during the previous winter.
The requirement was primarily workforce comfort, rather than maintaining temperatures for sensitive stock or manufacturing processes. EVOVE required the factory to be maintained at around 16°C to provide a comfortable working environment for employees.
The building had a natural gas supply, providing an opportunity to install an efficient gas-fired heating system.
Having previously used radiant heating in another building, EVOVE had initially considered installing a similar system and had received a quotation from a radiant-only heating provider.
Finding the Right Heating Solution
We explained to EVOVE that we design and install both radiant and warm air heating systems, allowing us to consider the most appropriate solution for the building rather than being restricted to one heating technology.
For this particular building, we recommended a combination of warm air heating and destratification.
Warm air heating provides an effective way of distributing heat throughout a large factory, while destratification fans help prevent warm air from becoming trapped at high levels. By returning this heat to the occupied space, the system can make better use of the heat generated by the heaters.
Our calculations showed that this approach would require significantly less installed heating capacity than the radiant heating option originally being considered, with the potential to reduce energy consumption and running costs.
The Solution
We designed and installed a complete gas-fired warm air heating system comprising:
Winterwarm XR+ warm air heaters
Winterwarm WCU destratification fans
An overhead air curtain above the main shutter door
As EVOVE had recently moved into a brand-new, modern building, aesthetics was an important consideration.
The heating equipment needed to provide the required performance while complementing the clean appearance of the new facility. The installation was carefully planned to integrate the heaters, destratification fans and air curtain into the building without compromising its modern appearance.
The Result
Since install EVOVE have been particularly impressed with the performance of the warm air heating system and how effectively it has heated the factory.
The combination of warm air heating, destratification and an overhead air curtain provided a complete solution focused on workforce comfort, efficient heat distribution and minimising heat loss.
A Heating Solution Designed Around the Building
The EVOVE project demonstrates the value of looking at the whole building and its individual requirements when selecting a commercial heating system.
While EVOVE initially considered radiant heating based on their previous experience, our assessment showed that warm air heating combined with destratification would be better suited to this particular factory.
The finished system provides EVOVE with an efficient and effective way to maintain a comfortable working environment, while the destratification fans and air curtain help maximise the value of the heat produced and minimise unnecessary heat loss.
Most importantly, the system has delivered exactly what EVOVE needed — a warm, comfortable and modern working environment for its staff.
