Heritage Heating Range 2025
Sustainable radiant heating solutions for churches and heritage buildings in the transition to Net Zero
www.herschel-infrared.co.uk
Why Herschel Infrared?
In February 2020, the Church of England brought forward its net zero emissions target to 2030. The opportunity to identify areas for reducing energy usage, across circa 16,000 churches, is significant. Given that 72% of the energy consumed by any church is typically used in heating the building, choosing the correct heating solution will be vital in meeting this target.
The need to manage energy consumption applies across all religions and denominations and all heritage and historical buildings.
Herschel Infrared provides the perfect heating solution for churches and heritage buildings. The Heritage range has been specially designed to fit and preserve the heritage aesthetic whilst heating people comfortably, affordably, and efficiently.
The Church of England Environment Programme commissioned Tobit Curteis Associates and Inspired Efficiency to carry out a Performance Review of Halo at St Matthew’s in Bristol. Findings include:
‘The Halo system appears to be a suitable addition to the range of decarbonised heating solutions for churches to consider.’
‘Significant energy, carbon and cost savings were noted’.
‘The congregation of St Matthew’s Church were unanimously positive regarding the visual appearance of the units’.
Improved Efficiency
Unlike convection heating, which heats the air, radiant heating is highly controllable meaning it can directly heat people in the areas where they need to be heated. Targeting the heating in this way, and creating precise zones, can lead to significant savings on energy consumption and costs.
Simpler Installation, Zero Servicing, Long Life
Simpler, quicker, less disruptive and far cheaper to install than alternatives such as heat pumps. Our heritage heaters have no servicing requirement, utilising long life, solid state components with no moving parts, and have been designed so that the ceramic elements can be easily replaced, if required.
Improved Comfort
Radiant heat creates a very natural and pleasant feeling of warmth, at a wavelength similar to the energy emitted by humans. This gently warms occupiers to deliver improved comfort, at a more consistent and comfortable temperature. The Halo can deliver fast warm-up times for occupiers, with very little pre-heating requirement - ‘pre-heat timing reducing from 3 hours for the gas/radiator system to 30 minutes for the Halo system’. (Note: warm-up times may vary).
Preservation of Historic Interiors
The Halo has been purpose-built by Herschel for churches, beautifully designed to complement and protect the historic aesthetic. ‘With careful positioning, the chandelier design of the Halo can provide comfort heating for people in the church while limiting the conservation risk to sensitive artefacts and monuments’.
Highly Controllable
Running times will be impacted by airflow, ambient temperatures and how the areas are used. Dependent upon the property age/type, insulation levels and levels of airflow present, the number of heaters required and running times will vary.
Delivering the ultimate flexibility in control, our radiant heating systems are simple to operate, ensuring the right people and spaces are heated at the right times with no wasted energy. Halo is controlled by Herschel’s patented InfraSense system which is integrated into the heater. InfraSense precisely measures heated areas, every second, with automatic adjustment of power output to consistently maintain target temperatures within heated zones. Alternatively, we offer our APX control system.
UK Manufactured
With our state of the art production facility based in Bristol we source our materials from within the UK, where possible, and provide a tailored design service for our clients. Our commitment to quality, service and to reducing our carbon footprint extends from our material sourcing, using British made steel, to our offering of bespoke decorative finishes and colours to our afterservice assistance and care.
Performance Review of Halo at St Matthew’s in Bristol, by Tobit Curteis Associates and Inspired Efficiency
Image shows Herschel UK Production Facility
Heritage Specification Service
With significant experience in heating heritage buildings and hard to heat spaces, Herschel’s Heritage team has unrivalled expertise to deliver heating specifications for different spaces. With the largest range of infrared heating solutions on the market, our team can provide a bespoke recommendation for all requirements.
Using the latest technology, we offer both desktop and on-site surveys (including 3D scans of your church) to create a tailored heating specification.
We can provide accurate visual representations incorporating scale images of heaters within the 3D scans, illustrating the heating zones provided by the Halo heaters.
We will assist with DAC applications, preparing in-depth proposal packages to answer the majority of their questions and will continue to provide support throughout the process.
We can recommend a number of qualified installers and will happily assist them with their queries to ensure a smooth and easy installation.
Meeting Net Zero Climate Targets
Our heating solutions provide the quickest and simplest way to decarbonise heating and achieve net zero - simply switch to a green energy tariff or combine with renewables.
Halo - the Route to Net Zero
Following extensive research and development, the radiant Halo heater has been created with a stunning chandelier-style design, ideal for heritage buildings.
With powerful, zero light, far infrared heat emitters, the UK manufactured Halo offers a highly controllable, effective and decorative heating solution that is acceptable to conservation bodies. The Halo is accompanied by the Halo Mini, Horizon, Under Pew heaters and control systems to provide a complete heating system for all church and heritage spaces.
Our team of specialist, in-house surveyors can advise on how the Heritage range can provide a whole church heating solution or provide a modular solution to work alongside existing heating systems.
A Solar Future
The integration of renewable energy in historic and heritage buildings will allow a substantial amount of their power requirement to be produced on site. With clever management alongside night-time tariffs, usage can be balanced to future proof costs and deliver a sustainable future. Our system can automatically use solar to heat the church if enough electricity is being generated.
“Come 2030, the Church of England may or may not have achieved Net Zero carbon. I hope it will be well on its way. One thing that is absolutely certain is that this initiative would have made a huge difference. We’ll look back at today and realise that this, here, all of this Halo, this facility, and this initiative was a game-changer in our collective response to climate change.”
Simon Pugh-Jones RIBA, Chair of Bristol Diocesan Advisory Committee, Contributor to the Church of England’s Route Map to Net Zero.
Image shows 4 x Halo heaters with Decorative Panels and LED Lights
Virtual floor plan available
Heated Zones visualisation available
Heritage Range
Maintenance free, Herschel Infrared heaters have no hazardous components and are highly recyclable. Delivering fast warm up times and the ultimate flexibility in control, our heritage heating range can be specified to either heat entire buildings or, alternatively, heat occupants in defined bubbles within large spaces.
Significant reductions in energy consumption can be achieved from using the Herschel Halo heaters. The ceiling-mounted Halo heaters radiate warmth directly over the congregation and typically only need to be on for a short time before, and throughout, the duration of the service. In comparison, a gas or oil system would typically have to run on full for many hours before a service to heat the church, as would heat pumps.
Heating for Every Space
In addition to our revolutionary Halo chandelier heater, the zero light Herschel Heritage range also includes the Halo Mini, Halo Horizon and our Under Pew heaters.
Halo Mini has been developed in response to market demand for a smaller-sized model of the stunning chandelier-style Halo. Similarly, the Horizon maintains the bespoke heritage aesthetic with its decorative design and finish and its long design facilitates column, ceiling suspension and wall mounting. Both models are ideal for side aisles, chancels and lower ceilinged spaces such as choir galleries. Halo and Horizon incorporate the very best components and finishings, including a nickel-plated grill to deliver full protection against corrosion.
Herschel Under Pew heaters provide additional warmth for those churches seeking an under pew solution. Using the gentle waveband of far infrared heat, the low power heaters create localised bubbles of warmth to deliver a more efficient solution than traditional under pew heating solutions. Control systems provide the ultimate flexibility to enable individual pews to be heated, as required, saving energy.
Decorative Designs and Colours
The Halos and Horizons come in a black, gold, or bronze colour finish as standard. Optional bespoke colours and decorative designs are also available (examples below), please discuss with the Heritage Team.
Decorative Cross Finish
Black Gold
Bronze
Trinity Clover
Halo Horizon
Ideal to supplement Halo in side aisles, chancels and lower-ceilinged spaces such as choir galleries.
Key features:
• 3200W, 2600W
• Ceiling suspension & wall mounting
• UK manufactured with British made steel
• Zero light
• Fast warm up times
• Optional bespoke decorative designs
Halo
The far infrared chandelier heater designed specifically for historical buildings.
Key features:
• 9600W, 7800W, 4800W
• Zero light heater with optional LED lighting
• UK manufactured with British made steel
• Optional bespoke decorative designs
• 3 power levels
• Far infrared preserves historic interiors
• Nickel-plated grill
• 5 Year Warranty
Registered UK Design No. 6321585
Halo Mini
A smaller sized replica of the market-leading Halo chandelier heater.
Key features:
• 6400W, 5200W, 3200W
• Zero light heater with optional LED lighting
• UK manufactured with British made steel
• Optional bespoke decorative designs
• 2 power levels
• Far infrared preserves historic interiors
• Nickel-plated grill
• 5 Year Warranty
Under Pew Heater
Efficient and gentle localised comfort for under pews. Includes a Herschel Smart Switch.
Key features:
• 450W, 250W
• UK manufactured with British made steel
• Highly efficient, Swift Comfort Plus System
• Freestanding or Pew mounting options
• Ornate safety grill
• 10 Year Warranty
Smart Church Heating
Introducing Herschel InfraSense*
Herschel’s pioneering new InfraSense control system utilises advanced sensors integrated into the Halo heater together with a central touch screen control system.
Revolutionising Church Heating with Herschel InfraSense
InfraSense precisely maps and measures the average radiant temperature of the heated zone under the heater, every second. Using smart algorithms, InfraSense automatically adjusts the power level of the Halo to ensure desired target temperatures are accurately maintained without over or under-heating. This maximises comfort levels and saves energy. You can be confident that the congregation will be heated to the desired temperature and electricity is not wasted from heaters being at a higher power than is required. No other system can achieve this level of control and energy savings.
The Only Fully Automated Control System on the Market
Heaters can be controlled individually or grouped into zones. The InfraSense touchscreen central control is extremely easy to use with the option of one touch manual power level selector (low, medium and high) or intelligent automatic mode to set and control a temperature. Lighting† is also controlled via the central controller. It can be located securely away from public areas. An optional passcode prevents unauthorised use.
InfraSense maximises the life of the Halo heating emitters via automatic load balancing.
Herschel provides remote access and support from our UK based national service hub. The system is future proofed with remote updates to the control system possible. Future developments include App control, integration with time of use electricity tariffs/solar, energy use reporting and presence detection.
*Patent pending GB2631160
†Lighting is optional
Experience the future of church heating today.
Halo zones with touch screen control tablet
St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne, Australia
Our revolutionary UK made Halo infrared heaters have been installed in St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne, Australia.
The Halo heating system will both light up and heat the Cathedral, replacing the outdated radiant heaters to provide an energy-efficient solution for the building.
Future plans include a solar array, which alongside the electric heating system, will greatly increase the sustainability and environmental responsibility of the Cathedral.
Building the Herschel Halo
Look inside our behind the scenes footage of how this bespoke Halo project for St Paul's was designed and manufactured in our purpose-built UK Production Facility.
Herschel Global Reach
Eight Halo chandelier-style heaters have been installed to provide a heating and lighting solution that is aesthetically sympathetic to the historic architecture thats sits within the beautiful interior.
The finish of the Halos has been designed specifically for St Paul’s making them unique to the Cathedral. The design cleverly incorporates the Cathedral’s iconic symbols, illustrated on the photos below - the heraldic symbols of the St Paul’s crest adorn the outside of each Halo.
From the bespoke icons on the panels to the decorative grill, every part of the Halo has been thoughtfully designed to blend in perfectly with the Cathedral interior.
The laser cutter has been programmed with replica designs of the heraldic symbols of the St Paul’s crest to cut into the Halo exterior.
Bespoke design incorporating heraldic symbols of the St Paul’s crest Herschel Halo installed in St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne
Design render of bespoke finish
Laser cutting machine at work
Herschel Case Studies
St Michael’s Church, Aynho, UK
With the Church of England’s 20230 Net Zero Carbon Initiative in mind, St Michael’s was in need of a new church heating system as the existing boiler was coming to the end of its life. The Grade 1 listed Church initially explored air source heat pumps before considering alternatives due to the cost involved.
After consultation with the Herschel Heritage team, six bespoke Halo heaters (7.8kW) were installed at St Michael’s Church, providing flexible, zoned heating for the congregation. The heaters incorporate a bespoke finish that has been designed to match the church baptismal font and complement the church’s historic aesthetic. The Halo heaters enhance comfort and also preserve church’s fabric by reducing dampness and improving overall warmth.
Andrew Bellamy, Churchwarden, praised the system’s efficiency and aesthetic appeal, noting how the heaters seamlessly blend into the space and achieve desired temperatures within 30 minutes—compared to the previous system that required days of continuous operation. St Michael’s Church now enjoys a cost-effective, energy-efficient solution that balances heritage preservation with modern functionality.
“The feeling of warmth in the church is simply marvellous. We are simply delighted with them. If you look at the Halo heaters themselves, they seem to look as if they’ve been here forever. They are a much more fitting chandelier system than we had in here before, which we’d had for nearly 150 years. People come into the church and they literally go, wow, they look fantastic. After they’ve been here for a short time in the service, they love the actual warmth, the warmth, which the Halo heaters give is better than we had thought.”
Andrew Bellamy, Churchwarden, St Michael’s, Aynho
The Halo heater has the option for bespoke decorative finishes, tailored to designs chosen by each church. The Halo heating St Michael’s incorporates a bespoke finish that has been designed to match the church baptismal font. Beautifully finished, the motif on the Halos creates a stunning and complementary addition to the heating system.
St Matthew’s Church was looking for an electric heating solution to transition away from fossil fuels, aligning with the Church of England’s net-zero carbon goal by 2030. Their objective was to heat the congregation comfortably in their spacious, historic nave. The solution: 4 x Halo 7.8kW heaters, custom-designed to blend seamlessly with the heritage aesthetics while preserving the building’s interior.
The feedback from St Matthew’s has been fantastic; from the congregation and the Treasurer, as well as the findings from the independent performance review commissioned by the Church of England. Unlike their previous gas heating, the Halos allowed them to heat the space just minutes before the service, costing only £10 for a Sunday morning worship, and resulting in significant energy savings. The aesthetic of the Halo fits beautifully within the interior of St Matthew’s, the congregation has enjoyed the comfort and substantial carbon reduction has been achieved. As a result, St Matthew’s are extending the installation of Herschel’s radiant heaters to other areas within the church.
St Matthew’s share the results of their Halo installation
St Michael’s testimonial video
St Michael’s, Aynho
Performance Review of Halo at St Matthew’s in Bristol, by Tobit Curteis Associates and Inspired Efficiency
St Matthew’s Church, Bristol, UK
St Matthew’s, Bristol
St Michael’s: Halo with a bespoke decorative finish †
All Saints’ Church, Martock, UK
All Saints’ Church in Martock, Somerset, faced a heating challenge while aiming to meet the Church of England’s Net Zero Carbon Initiative by 2030. Traditional options like gas boilers and heat pumps were either impractical or environmentally unfriendly. To address this, the Church turned to Herschel Infrared for an ecofriendly and efficient heating solution.
The Herschel Halo, seamlessly integrated into the Lady Chapel, providing both warmth and lighting, making it the perfect choice. Herschel’s zonal heating approach aligned with their need for energy efficiency and cost savings. The Heritage Team’s thorough survey and planning, along with the hassle-free installation, ensured the church’s heating needs were met while preserving its historic charm. The Church are now looking to install Herschel Heritage heaters throughout other areas of the interior.
“The Halo design has been absolutely fantastic. That’s been the thing that sold it to us. It looks like it belongs in a building of this age and the proof of that has been that when people come in, they hardly notice that it’s there, which is fantastic. It fits beautifully. The aesthetic is good. It looks good and it’s got light in it as well as heat, so it serves a dual purpose of lighting quite a dark chapel. And for that purpose, it’s just ticked all the boxes for us.”
Reverend Paul Fillery, All Saints’ Church, Martock
Saints’ testimonial video
Alte Friedhofskapelle, Meerane, Germany
The first Halo installation in Europe, this beautiful chapel in Germany was looking for an electric heating solution which effortlessly blends into the chapel’s aesthetics.
A 7.8kW Halo heater with LED lighting was installed in the chapel. The Halo blends perfectly into the stunning interior, providing a sustainable form of heating.
All Saints’, Martock
Alte Friedhofskapelle
Frequently Asked Questions
How effective is Herschel’s Heritage Range at heating people when sat for long periods of time? Can these be used for heating churches in regular use?
Our Heritage Range of heaters can be used to heat people effectively and comfortably regardless of the duration the warmth is required for. Feedback from an installation of Halo heaters at St Matthew’s Church is that the Halo provides very good levels of comfort which St Matthew’s characterise as ‘better than we ever had from the radiators’ and they describe the actual effect to feeling like a ‘bubble of heat’ – to the point that they note it ‘doesn’t feel like it’s actually coming from the heaters themselves’. Halo will work very well for churches that are in regular use. As an example, St Matthew’s is in regular, daily use and they run the Halo heating in exactly the same way as one would turn on the lighting. They have confirmed that Halo is switched on only as and when required, and when the use is occurring. Within 10 minutes they have their required comfort – with no need for background heating at other times. (Note: warm-up times may vary).
Do I have to have all the heaters on at the same time to make them work?
No, you do not need to have all the heaters on at the same time for them to work. Herschel’s Heritage range is designed to be operated individually or in zones, depending on how and when the space is being used, and this ensures that the heaters are run in the most cost-efficient way.
How warm will the church be?
With sufficient heaters we can heat the entire church. However, this is unlikely to be the most cost-effective way of heating as it will consume a high amount of energy, especially in older, poorly insulated churches that were never built to be heated. For churches with less frequent use “Sunday Churches” and those that are rarely fully occupied, by far the most cost effective method will be to provide zones or “bubbles” of heat focused on the area in use. For example the main nave. Other areas not in use can remain unheated. People will be directly warmed by the heaters when they are within proximity of the infrared heater and often, a shorter pre-heat time is needed to take the chill off the area. The feeling of thermal comfort will be affected by cold air but the radiant heat will provide a good level of comfort for people within the heated area. We usually aim for “real feel” temperatures (the temperature you perceive) of between 1719°C unless higher comfort levels are required. If the church is investing in solar, our APX system can automatically provide background heating for the building when electricity is being generated from the solar PV. This can be a useful way of raising the overall internal temperature of the church at nil cost, and zero CO2, and will reduce the demand for heating during services. Our systems will also work with smart “time of use” tariffs from energy providers (such as cheap overnight rates). It is important to understand that currently the daytime electricity rate is around 3 times more expensive per kilowatt of energy than fossil fuels. This will change in the future but in the meantime, as we transition to net zero, heating bills will be higher if switching from a gas / oil boiler unless the new infrared heating system is used differently to traditional ways of heating and occupants’ expectations levels are managed. Control, zoning and the placement/heights of the heaters are crucial to a successful installation and energy efficiency.
What technology does the Halo range use and how does this differ from other radiant space heaters?
The technology used within the Halo range of heaters is far infrared. This is different from the technology used by other more ‘traditional radiant heaters’ from other providers, which have typically used shortwave infrared technology. The feeling of comfort from far infrared is a much more gentle feeling of warmth, ideal for the heating of people. We use the analogy of watering a tender plant with a hose. The old technology is akin to the hose being on ‘jet’, highly targeted, whereas the technology in Halo is akin to the hose being on ‘fine mist’ – everything gets gently wetted (or gently and comfortably heated).
Is installation of the Halo range disruptive and do you need specialists to install it?
Our Heritage heaters can be installed by qualified commercial electricians, providing a non-intrusive installation for building managers with no skills shortage issues.
All Saints’, Stone
Do I have to install heaters in all areas at the same time or can I phase installation?
You have the flexibility to phase the installation of heaters in different areas. Herschel heaters can be installed in stages, allowing you to prioritise certain areas or zones within your church or heritage building. This phased approach can be beneficial for managing costs and ensuring that you address the heating needs of specific spaces first. Herschel’s modular and customisable solutions make it easy to plan and implement phased installations that best suit your requirements and budget.
Will the Halo chandelier heaters frazzle heads and freeze feet?
No they will not. The Halo emitters use far infrared technology and are completely different to the old quartz ray emitters that were previously common for this type of application. The effect felt from far infrared is a gentle feeling of comfort and this was specifically tested with occupiers at St Matthew’s – no frazzle of heads or cold feet was detected.
Does Halo qualify under the Listed Places of Worship Scheme?
Yes absolutely. Under the scheme listed churches can claim a grant in lieu of VAT, and thus significantly reduce the net capital cost in installation.
Are there any maintenance requirements?
Our Heritage heaters have no moving parts and require no servicing, unlike heat pumps and boilers. This represents a significant cost saving over the lifetime of the heating system versus alternative solutions.
The church has single phase or limited power supply, will we be able to install Halo heaters?
All Halo heaters can be used on single phase (as well as 3-phase supply). If there is a limited power supply, there are a number of options that can be considered. The number of heaters installed can be managed and operated within the supply so they are not all on at the same time, the number of heaters installed can be reduced to only heat the priority areas or, alternatively, a staggered approach to installation can be considered if a power upgrade is planned at a later date.
The church has high ceilings, will Halos be suitable to heat the space?
Whilst high ceilings may mean that access is trickier, so long as installers can use appropriate scaffolding and install the Halos so they are suspended at the correct recommended heights, then the Halo heaters will provide an effective heating system.
Can the Halo range damage the fabric of the interior or valuable objects and artefacts or cause delicate surfaces to expand?
The radiant wavelength is similar to that which humans radiate, and the measurable surface temperatures are no greater than they would be through human contact. The feeling of heat is similar to that of the heat of the sun through a window and there is no additional risk of differential expansion than that. (Conversely, this has previously been a risk from using quartz ray/ shortwave IR type heaters and is also true of radiators). Historic artefacts and monuments are a specialist area and Herschel will work with you during the design and specification process to ensure all sensitivities are considered.
St Michael’s, Aynho
