Commercial Heating Leeds | How to Keep School Heating Efficient During the Autumn Term

Well, it’s back to school in a couple of week’s after a long, hot summer of fun and if you’re a headteacher or in charge of facilities, you’ll want to make sure everything’s in working order. In particular, energy-efficient measures should be taken for commercial heating because a cold, chilly classroom can lead to distraction even for the most focused of students. In this week’s post, we’re going back to the classroom for the start of the new school year so here’s how to keep school heating efficient throughout the autumn term.

Stick to Recommended Temperatures

Maintaining an optimum temperature will obviously improve comfort for staff and pupils which in turn will lead to increased attentiveness for students in a learning environment. Although currently there’s no law for minimum or maximum working temperatures, schools must follow the same health and safety law for indoor temperature as workplaces. During school hours the temperature must be reasonable throughout all classrooms and the guidance suggests a minimum of 16ºC or 13ºC if pupils are doing physical work.

Ensure Perfectly Scheduled Heating

Throughout the year your heating will vary to suit adjustments like daylight changes but it should be reviewed every month to make sure that the settings are for when it’s needed. If short-term changes are made to your system like for a show or parents evening, don’t forget to change them back or you might use heating when it is not needed. Also, enjoy custom settings with a 7-day timer, perfect for weekends and holidays. Set it to warm the school as people arrive for their day and then cool back down as everyone leaves.

Building and Commercial Heating Maintenance

Commercial heating is most efficient when the building is properly maintained. This includes school windows, floors, walls and roofs and effective insulation. Boiler breakdowns should also be kept to a minimum with an annual service plan. Hot water tanks, pipes and valves should also be insulated to prevent heat loss. Storage tanks need regular attention to help safeguard against any disruptions and keep it free from rust and damage as well as ensuring all parts are in good condition.

Thermostat Location is Key

Where thermostats are concerned, location is key as it has a massive influence on how they perform. Keep them away from sunlight and draughts and heat sources like computer equipment.

Prevent Commercial Heating Interference

Very often in large spaces, people tend to disrupt the heating and ventilation levels. This might be because they are chilly and so increase the thermostat to maximum. But this does not increase the speed in which a room is heated up, instead, it leads to overheating, irritation and a waste of energy. Discourage this by choosing a team who are dedicated heating heroes, then make it clear it’s only this team that can change anything to do with the heating controls.

One other thing that may result in inefficient commercial heating is if any equipment is obstructing radiators and vents and preventing them from working properly. Combat this by making sure chairs and desks are carefully arranged. This will ensure effective circulation and therefore, efficient heating in school.

Efficient Commercial Heating for Schools

Thank you for reading this week’s post exploring commercial heating for schools. Heating a large building can be rather expensive so it does pay to implement some actions. We, therefore, hope you’ve found our advice helpful and are ready to start seeing a difference. Simply follow our heating initiatives to keep staff and students warm – energy efficiency shouldn’t mean compromising on comfort. To discuss your commercial heating requirements with a member of our friendly team, please contact Direct Heating Installations and we wish you a successful start to the new school year – thank you for reading.