Derby County Football Club heated concourse warms fans
Pride Park, home to 30,000 Derby County football fans, provides a warm and comfortable environment for spectators, particularly on match days, thanks to an installation of Reznor’s Nor-Ray-Vac heating system
As the concourse at this venue is open to the pitch, outside air to constantly infiltrates into the area, causing discomfort for fans on chilly days. The Reznor Nor-Ray-Vac radiant heating system was ideal in this instance, as the system transfers energy by means of electromagnetic waves which pass through the air without heating it, instead heating the surfaces. This method results in an increase in energy efficiency, as energy is not wasted heating the cooled air.
The heated concourse is thought to be the first one in the UK and has received a very warm welcome from fans, with the club receiving some very positive feedback verbally and through social media. It has been a valuable initiative adding to the enjoyment of a match day experience.
The Nor-Ray-Vac system was designed and implemented by local contractors Pegasus, and provides blanket heat coverage of the concourse, eliminating any cold spots and has an estimated potential fuel saving of 25% over an equivalent warm air system in this type of environment.
As the concourse is situated underneath the stadium seats, the versatility of the system design meant the flue was able to be installed horizontally through the exterior walls. With the installation covering the North, West and Family Stands the total system installed comprised nine LR burners suspended at 6m high and 2 unitary Vision U Tube radiant heaters.
The Family Stand and West Stands are situated at either end of the pitch and each are arranged in two temperature zones controlled by Reznor SmartCom3 with just two discharge flue points. The North Stand has four temperature zones, providing flexibility when segregating the stand when the club increases the away fans allocation.
Derby County Spokesman Paul Tyrrell says: “We are continuously looking for ways to improve the level of service and quality of the match day experience for our supporters. Many enhancements have been made to Pride Park recently and our decision to introduce a new heating system in our concourses was a vital element of this upgrade programme.
"The heating system is one of the first to be introduced to stadia in the UK and are we delighted with it. Importantly, our supporters will feel the benefit of it for many seasons to come", he adds.
