Air curtains keeps icy draughts out of church
A Dimplex air-curtain above a draughty north-facing doorway in a 19th-century church in Cirencester has provided a discreet solution for enhancing comfort in the building. Completed in 1851 at a cost of £5000, this gothic revival-style church has all the traditional heating challenges presented by its classic design — high boarded roofs with no insulation, beautiful single-glazed stained-glass windows and a downdraught from the bell tower.
Parishioner and retired architect Terry Hopegood looked into a series of options and worked with electrical contractor Tim Herbert to help create a warmer environment for worship while longer-term plans and budgets for upgrading overall comfort are being developed. One of the requirements was to minimise any intrusion on the architectural integrity of the buildings.
The Dimplex air curtain was selected as a cost-effective solution and also because its colour could be matched to blend closely with the cream distemper on the walls.
The carefully planned installation also involved the 3-phase cabling running through a hole drilled in the 750 mm-thick wall behind the air curtain, which is now concealed in the porch roof. The cable runs neatly down the wall angle outside the church and then runs in the ground before being connected to the consumer unit in the vestry.
Terry Hopegood explains, ‘Obviously you can see the unit on the gothic arch above the doorway, but we’ve added some careful infilling with matching coloured spandrel panels below so the intrusion is minimal. It’s quite quiet so we can leave it running if need be while a service is taking place.’
