Plymouth Argyle Football Club is using an innovative heating method to keep its players, fans and staff warm.
The cleaner, greener, and cheaper solution of heating both commercial and domestic properties has been used in Europe since the 1970s but has now come to the UK after its proven success.
“We used to have an oil-fired unit to provide heat to our corporate clients, but this created a smell and only blew air in one direction – unless you sat in front of it there was almost no effect,” said Andy Budge, Commercial Sales Manager at Plymouth FC.
“Süka gave us an excellent alternative which works really well and will save us money,” he added.
Managing director of heating company Süka Abdul Raaj explains how it works: “The traditional radiator does not, in fact, radiate – it convects heat, so the air is warmed and circulated in the room to reach the required temperature.”
“But such systems cause the hot air to rise quickly so the ceilings are warm and the floors are cold. The result is warm heads and cold feet.”
Radiant heat warms up the walls and furniture of a room and these too store the heat and radiate it out. The building’s shell and its contents are used as thermal mass and are then a store of heat. This means only top-up heat is required.
By using heaters which use radiant heat as opposed to the traditional convection radiator, less energy is wasted and less money is therefore spent. It’s said that only 15 minutes of power can heat an average-sized room for up to an hour.
The heating units simply plug into the wall and therefore an upheaval-free installation and no servicing costs.
“The new units were installed with zero fuss, on time and work incredibly well,” Andy Budge added.
“And because the units simply plugin, we’ve successfully used them outside to heat a marquee, which we were delighted we could do.”
Robert Fleming, a partner at Lifton Hall Hotel in Devon, also installed Süka heating units.
“We fitted three radiators in our front reception area which replaced old night storage heaters. When the doors opened all the heat escaped and would take a long time to heat up again.
“But now because the heating system allows all the furniture to store and release heat, the room stays a lot warmer and is a lot more comfortable for our guests.”
Süka has a dedicated team which will explain the science behind the technology and explain the ideal number of units needed to heat the required space efficiently. No pushy salesmen, just pure facts.