[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Fantastic opening day for our Beyond Zero Homes COP26 House in Glasgow.

Super impressive to see how this zero carbon, timber frame home has been constructed and completed on site in central Glasgow, within an eight week timeframe, in preparation for the UN Climate Change Summit.

The installation of our Herschel Infrared panel heaters took less that one day (compare that to the installation of a heat pump system!) and perfectly complement the spacious, simplistic and beautiful interior of the house. The COP26 House has triple glazed windows, high levels of wood fibre insulation and very good levels of air tightness, with an MVHR system for ventilation. Our heaters warm the entire building extremely quickly and efficiently and look striking on the 4m pitched ceiling. The number of visitors to the house who instantly commented on how much they liked the heating was amazing to hear. The feedback on the design of this home, its affordability, its carbon credentials combined with the feeling of spaciousness from this cleverly-designed house has been exceptional.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”439801″ img_size=”500X400″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”439799″ img_size=”500×400″][vc_column_text]Today we’ve welcomed members of the public, local councils, press, Planet Mark and others plus enjoyed a tour of the Vertical Farm exhibit opposite us on the Sustainable Glasgow Landing site. Visit us over the COP26 fortnight and see what’s achievable right now with zero carbon building and heating – situated on the Broomielaw, near the Kingston Bridge, just a short walk from the main COP26 conference venue.

COP26 House proves that it is easily possible to build zero carbon homes that are quick and affordable to build and live in – time for the major house builders and housing associations to take notice and change the way we build and heat our homes #cop26 #zerocarbon[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Guidance from the World Health Organisation* and from the Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations (REHVA)** recommends that workplaces are well ventilated with fresh outside air to reduce the risk of airborne transmission of COVID-19. In buildings without mechanical ventilation systems this guidance recommends opening windows where possible, even when this causes thermal discomfort.

Matthew Dodds, Director of Herschel’s Commercial Division commented “As we ease out of lockdown, those responsible for offices, schools, shops, sport premises, restaurants and any buildings where the public gather will need to carefully consider the risk of the Coronavirus spreading via the air and encourage or insist on the opening of windows in buildings without a mechanical ventilation system.

On warm summer days this is unlikely to be an issue but on colder days and as we head into autumn and winter this is going to be a significant issue for our comfort.”

Infrared (radiant) heating is the only viable way of keeping people warm in buildings where open windows are the only form of ventilation because Herschel heaters directly warm people, the room and its contents without first heating the air. In contrast, any convection based heating will be highly ineffective at keeping people warm because the hot air produced from the heater will escape through the open windows, leaving people and the room cold. It is why convection heating cannot be used for heating people outdoors. 

There is a potential added benefit that because the Herschel heaters directly warm the surfaces in the room, if the coronavirus is present on a surface it is unlikely to survive as long as it would on a colder surface (studies have shown that Covid-19 dies off quicker as temperature increases).  

Having windows open is going to result in much higher energy consumption for heating and goes against environmental aims of minimising energy usage. Our thermostat controls all have “open window detection” as part of Eco Design Energy Saving Regulations. Users will need to temporarily disable this feature when our heaters are used with our controls and they intend to run our heating and have windows open. 

Please contact us for further advice and assistance in specifying your requirements, Email [email protected]

*WHO document “Getting workplaces ready for COVID-19”; **REHVA COVID-19 guidance document 3 April 2020

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Thrilled to see the latest episode of ‘Your Home Made Perfect’, on BBC2, showcasing Herschel infrared heaters for garden rooms on their most recent property renovation. The TV presenter describes how the winning architect has “gone for an energy efficient heating system that frees up wall space usually covered by radiators”.  Laura Jane Clark, TV Architect, adds “These are brilliant, they’re infrared panels rather than normal electric panels. These actually radiate infrared light to heat up the surrounding material so it doesn’t heat up the air, doesn’t change the atmosphere and often these garden rooms get quite damp and infrared heating is brilliant. It works exactly the same way as the sun as the sun heats by infrared so you’ve got little mini suns. They’re silent as well”.

The exciting new BBC2 property makeover programme uses virtual reality to show the homeowners how the competing designs of the two architects will look, allowing them to choose their preferred design. Contact us for more information on how our infrared heaters for garden rooms are the perfect choice: a space saving design that also reduces damp, frequently a problem in these spaces. More details to follow soon on our case study.

Keep an eye out on BBC One for the Children in Need Special of DIY SOS.  We were delighted to donate our infrared heaters, over £6k in value, to Nightsafe, a charity in Blackburn which provides temporary accommodation for homeless and vulnerable young people. The project was the renovation of an old church hall built in the 1800’s. The team were thrilled to visit the site in Blackburn on 17 September for the Big Reveal and meet representatives from the Nightsafe charity as well as the DIY SOS team. Both the CEO of Nightsafe and the DIY SOS team have all told us that they are already extremely happy with both the look and performance of our infrared heaters, all of which were ceiling mounted keeping them safely out of reach. They also have full APP enabled control for simple operation by the staff and volunteers at the Shelter.

The Big Reveal had a fantastic atmosphere, with everyone involved in this huge project keen to hear more about the work of the charity, and we are very proud to have supported such an amazing cause.

Coming soon….November 13th! The episode will also feature on the BBC during Children in Need, on Friday 15 November 2019. Find out more about Nightsafe here.

Introducing our newest smart infrared heating range – Herschel Select XLS.

Here at Herschel we strive to continually offer our customers quality, innovation and choice across our infrared heating portfolio. With this in mind, we’ve developed Herschel Select XLS – our brand NEW smart infrared heating range – the perfect choice for heating homes.

Available in a number of finishes including white, mirror and towel panel heaters, the Select XLS range of infrared panels incorporates our latest innovation: integrated SMART-R technology for simple, quick and efficient install and operation. The SMART-R receiver allows each Select XLS heater to pair wirelessly to one of three new XLS thermostats (sold separately), 2 of which feature in-built WiFi allowing App-control and even voice control when used with Alexa or Google Assistant.

Our frameless XLS white model comes with a UK plug offering a complete Lot 20 compliant plug and play option, with optional feet for portable use, or can be wall or ceiling-mounted for a discreet, space-saving heating solution.

Our Select XLS mirror panel is perfect for adding a stylish, cosy addition to any living area or the perfect steam-free (when on) mirror for bathrooms.  The Herschel Select XLS dual-element towel heater offers an alternative contemporary heating solution for bathrooms, finished in a pure white glass with chrome rails.

Herschel Select XLS is the best choice for high quality smart infrared heating for homes – with frameless construction and featuring EasyFix installation, it is available in a range of new sizes specially designed to deliver more power from smaller panels, and fit better, using less space on walls and ceilings.

Alongside our premium Inspire range of infrared heating panels, manufactured in Germany, the Select XLS range guarantees choice for customers in finish, budget, control and installation.

Take a look at Select XLS, the newest innovation in smart infrared heating, and be sure your home is warmed this winter with cosy, stylish and simple to install infrared heating. Choose from three XLS thermostats, all of which incorporate energy-saving features for flexible, efficient, simple control.  Supported by our unmatched specifying experience within the market, the Herschel proposition is unbeatable for simple install, low carbon electric infrared heating.

Don’t just take our word for it – listen to our customers – Keri and Matt. They were so thrilled with their Herschel heating they are now starring in our very first advert, set in their beautifully renovated home, finished with Herschel panel heaters.

Contact our team who will love to help you with your heating requirements or, alternatively, take a look at our online calculator and get a free online estimation on your infrared heating requirements.

What is the best heating for landlords? Landlords are frequently choosing infrared as the best heating solution for both themselves, in terms of ease of install, maintenance and a lower carbon footprint and also for their tenants for reasons of design, space, comfort and efficiency.

Our latest video testimonial comes from a landlord with a substantial portfolio of both professional and student lettings. With 20 years landlord experience in property and lettings, Chris Honor, Honor Properties, has already installed Herschel Infrared in a number of student properties and had no hesitation in choosing infrared as the heating solution for his latest property development.

Mr Honor was looking for heating for his redevelopment project of six self-contained apartments in Bristol. As a landlord, he had a number of priorities to consider from a heating solution:

• Minimise carbon footprint – electric heating presents an attractive solution, over gas, especially when powered by a 100% green energy provider;

• Simple and cheap install – Herschel infrared heaters offer a very simple solution that can be installed quickly by standard trades and avoids the disruption from electric underfloor heating;

• Low maintenance – infrared heating is solid state, presenting landlords with a fantastic solution that does not require annual maintenance and avoids the risk of having to revisit the entire installation in ten years time;

• Cost effective efficient heating – this development of apartments will be run as short-term lets with the landlord paying the heating bills. As infrared heating does not heat the air, and instead directly heats the mass and objects in the room to build up thermal mass, lower wattage is required than with other electric heaters – presenting both landlords, and tenants should they be paying the energy bills, with a lower cost solution;

• Space-saving heating solution – three out of the six newly-designed apartments were studio apartments and Mr Honor was keen to maximise the living space within each studio. Infrared panels have the benefit of being able to be ceiling mounted, presenting the best heating option where space is a priority.

• Stylish design – the apartments have been designed to the highest specification and, as a professional landlord, Mr Honor wanted to ensure the heating did not distract from the stylish, minamilistic design throughout. These ultra-slimline panels blend into the interior providing a discreet, non -intrusive solution.

• Comfort – managing comfort levels for tenants throughout the day and evening is always a priority. Herschel infrared heaters are easily managed using thermostats to maintain comfort levels at all required times, with additional boost options, and the feeling from infrared heaters ensures a cosy, non stuffy warmth.

They keep the properties really nice and warm and we’ve been really happy with them”.  Chris Honor, Honor Properties. See the full details of this Herschel install here including the full video testimonial.

We are delighted to be sponsoring the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, the home of William Herschel, who discovered infrared back in 1800. This is a piece of history close to our hearts here at Herschel Infrared and we are thrilled his house is to be heated by Infrared. We will be supplying a Herschel Infrared picture panel to heat William Herschel’s home. The infrared picture panel is to be fittingly designed with a picture of Uranus, the planet William Herschel also discovered with a telescope he built by himself back in 1781.

“We’re sure that William Herschel would be delighted if he’d known that one day his home would be heated by infrared heaters, using his pioneering discovery of infrared! We’re delighted to be working with the Bath Preservation Trust on this venture”, Paul Morey, Herschel Infrared CEO, comments.

We are also in discussions with Bath Preservation Trust to heat the rest of the Herschel Museum along with opportunities for their other sites.

“We are delighted to be working with Herschel Infrared Heaters and are excited to see that William Herschel’s own discovery of infra-red is still relevant to scientific and technological developments today.  It is also interesting for us to see how Herschel’s approach to problem solving by designing his own solutions, is still in use today.  The new heater will be a great addition to the museum, providing a modern and environmentally sustainable solution to heating in a historic building.” Claire Dixon, Director of Museums & Deputy Chief Executive, Bath Preservation Trust.

William Herschel’s Home

Having had the pleasure of visiting the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, in Bath, we can strongly recommend a visit to this small yet fascinating museum, set in the Georgian home where William Herschel lived. Providing an insight into the actual setting where some extraordinary discoveries were made, the museum is a delight, particularly for those with a keen interest in history, astronomy, technology, music or 18th Century living.

It is inspiring to see around this terraced property in Bath where such profound discoveries were made, not only by William but also his sister Caroline Herschel, whose own biography includes the discovery of eight comets.  It was from this very location, in his small back garden in Bath, that William Herschel discovered Uranus and the museum includes a replica of the very telescope he used in his discovery.

Discovery of Infrared Radiation

William Herschel’s discovery of infrared radiation was accidental during one of his experiments. With three thermometers, a prism and a piece of white card set up to measure the temperatures produced by the different colours that make up sunlight,  William was surprised to discover that, beyond the red end of visible light, the thermometer read a higher temperature.  Prior to Herschel’s discovery, no-one else had previously considered that this heat was indeed another form of light.  Whilst unlikely to have fully understood the implications of his findings at the time, William’s discovery of infrared radiation has proved to be hugely significant to the modern world and for this reason, the Herschel Museum of Astronomy has launched its new exhibition on William Herschel to highlight his ground-breaking discovery of infrared radiation.

Exhibition on Invisible Light: William Herschel and Infrared.

Running all year from March until 31 December 2019, this exhibition explains Herschel’s discovery and it is fascinating to see his original handwritten notes, detailing his experiment and his discovery.

The exhibition explains the huge significance of his infrared discovery particularly in light of the continuing use of infrared today – within medicine, in science to photograph the furthest reaches of our universe and also to assist in understanding the impact of global warming and climate change. In addition, it is used in everyday technology such as TV remote controls and, of course, infrared heating, where advancements in technology have enabled us to benefit from his pioneering discovery.

So be sure to visit the exhibition and take a fascinating look back at history and the discovery of infrared by William Herschel.

Workshops are typically large & open spaces which can be tricky areas to heat. These have often been heated through gas & electric convection heating. These are not always effective & often prove costly given the requirement to heat the entire volume of air.

Step in Herschel Infrared heating with their range of radiant heaters and now workshop heating is a much simpler proposition to solve.

Take a look at this new case study where Snows Motor Group have installed Herschel space heaters within two of their vehicle sites to fantastic feedback.  “Herschel heaters are now installed at 2 of our sites and do exactly the job they are supposed to do for us. They work very adequately for the space, and the people using it, and have provided trouble free heating for us”.

Using modern, innovative technology, infrared heating allows you to zone heat to exactly where you need it, in those areas where people are specifically working, rather than wasting energy to heat the air volume within the whole workshop.

Infrared heating presents a low maintenance, durable heating solution for workshops that is efficient by its ability to effectively zone heating to heat specific workstation areas. If you have a workshop that needs heating, contact the Herschel team for more information.

Are you considering replacing your night storage heaters?

If you currently have night storage heaters, you’ll want to take a look at this recent feedback from a Herschel customer on Achill Island, off the West coast of the Republic of Ireland.

“I have checked my electric Ireland account and I am stunned….Much less than anticipated!”

Mr Shannon originally got in contact with Herschel as he was looking for a warmer heating solution for his holiday home. Previously he had been consistently greeted by a cold and damp property upon arrival.

Back in April 2017, after Herschel infrared heaters had been installed, Mr Shannon had commented “Our holiday home is snug, dry and warm for the first time….no more damp. Herschel panels have transformed the house”.  Now in 2019, he has been monitoring his electric usage and is “stunned”.

Mr Shannon’s figures show that, compared to his previous night storage heaters, which he says were not keeping his house sufficiently warm, he has experienced an impressive 45% saving on energy consumption replacing storage heaters with Herschel infrared. This has led to a saving on his electric bill of 32%.  Fantastic savings in addition to a holiday home that is now cosy, and more comfortable, upon arrival and damp-free.

Mr Shannon is now exploring options for solar and battery storage alongside his infrared heating. We’ll bring you another update with any further developments so watch this space.  More details on Mr Shannon’s install can be found here.

Similar case study examples of customers choosing to replace their night storage heating with Herschel infrared, with great results, can also be seen here and here.

Outdoor living is just around the corner. Not only does March bring the joy of blossom & supermarket shelves filled with chocolate eggs, it brings the enticing prospect of BBQ season & outdoor living.
With longer evenings to look forward to, it’s key to create a cosy outdoor space to really maximise your enjoyment outdoors.

At Herschel, we have a range of outdoor heaters that create comfortable warmth from a range of stylish, contemporary finishes that add a touch of designer elegance to any patio or terrace.

Our heaters use middlewave or far infrared to comfortably warm you, both solutions avoiding the bright, uncomfortable glare from other outdoor heaters on the market. Choose the California or Colorado, from our Sunset range, which both have a soft warm glow, creating a lovely ambience. Alternatively, we have a zero light range for sheltered areas if you are looking for a solution with no glow.

The designer California is available in a super-classy silver, special edition gold or a stylish black finish and, comes with a handy remote control. Similarly, the Herschel Colorado with its tasteful black design, has the option for a remote control.

With the increasing trend towards indoor-outdoor areas, why not consider a zero light option such as the Aspect XL or Summit? Maximise the enjoyment of indoor entertaining spaces that open up to outdoor spaces, with the addition of far infrared heaters that deliver a less intense warmth that’s similar to the gentle feeling of winter sun.

David Hilton, an expert in sustainable building and energy efficiency, has recently installed a Herschel California given his interest in greener solutions.

Featured in the recent April edition of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine he writes about Warming Up Outdoors – a greener solution for spring evenings:

“My curiosity in radiant heating technology (as well as the need for heat) has led me to install a Herschel California infrared radiant heater in my barbecue area.  The heat can be targeted on the seating area and even in breezy conditions we are actually very comfortable. The unit makes it possible to enjoy the outdoor area at short notice without needing to light up the chiminea or breaking the bank.”

Extend this season of outdoor living with our range of designer infrared heaters for homes and outdoor eating areas for restaurant, bar and cafe areas.