Skirting heating gives safe environment for vulnerable residents
Skirting heating is providing cost-efficient and effective heating for 32 extra-care flats at Cowan Court in Penicuik near Edinburgh. Discrete Heat’s ThermaSkirt LST heated skirting board with controls is creating a safe and comfortable environment for the elderly requiring care and assistance.
ThermaSkirt replaces the skirting board and radiators in one neat package to free up wall space and enable easy cleaning.
The complex was developed to help re-balance nursing-home care with care at home, recognising that most elderly people prefer to remain in their own homes and as independent as possible. The flats were designed to be as close as possible to regular homes regarding comfort and fittings, but remain able to cope with the progression of dementia and other illnesses by having simple layouts and easily accessed facilities.
Rooms are small, so usable space needed to be maximised. Radiators with bulky covers were not an option, and underfloor heating might have got too hot.
Lyn Jardin, project office for Extra Care Housing, which managed the project for Midlothian Council, explained, ‘After careful consideration of the business case (including installation costs, maintenance and cleaning, ease of use and suitability for the client group) we got agreement that skirting heating was our preferred option.’
