How to Cool a Warehouse?
July 10, 2024
Energy Efficient Commercial Heating Systems
February 21, 2025
Finding a suitable solution to both effective and efficient warehouse heating can prove challenging. There are a number of factors which need to be considered ahead of making the right choice for your warehouse.
The risks of getting it wrong can be impactful to your business and lead to problems with incorrect heat distribution, which in turn can affect the comfort of the workforce and potentially even the integrity of any stored products.
This guide tells you everything you need to know to heat your warehouse and make the right choice but for a free heating site survey contact Inergy Group here.
What do I need to consider for Warehouse heating:
Size
What is the size of the warehouse space to be heated? This can be calculated by measuring the length and width and the maximum ceiling height. It is important to determine if you want to heat the entire space or just certain areas, for example where the workforce is packing.
Available Floor Space
At Inergy Group we understand that your warehouse floor space is important to maximise for storage and business operations. It is important to consider if you can utilise any floor space for heating solutions, or if the ceiling or roof space may be more effectively utilised.
Heat Distribution
The ultimate goal is to deliver uniform heat distribution in the warehouse space whether the entire space is to be heated or a specific area or zone.
Storage Shelving and Racking
Essential to any warehouse space, storage shelving and racking can be problematic when determining a heating solution and can cause problems in delivering the desired even heat distribution. Inergy Group are experts in this field and as such can advise on the most suitable product choice for areas of dense storage racking.
Types of Warehouse Heating
So now you have determined your warehouse information, what types of warehouse heating are available? Essentially, this can be split into 2 categories:
Warm Air Heating for Warehouses
Warm Air Heating warms the air within the warehouse creating a warm environment for the people working.
A warm air heater may be gas or oil powered. A direct-fired heater contains the burner within the heater itself. An indirect-fired heater must be supplied from a central heating plant system such as a boiler.
Inside the heater, air is drawn across a heat exchanger which increases the airs temperature. Once at the desired or set temperature, this warmed air is then distributed through the warehouse space by a fan. Further distribution of the warm air using destratification fans may then be needed depending on the warehouse size. This additional warm air distribution is important to prevent cold spots in the space and can be especially beneficial in warehouses with high ceiling heights.
Inergy Group specify the market leading brands when designing and installing warm air heating solutions. Recommendations about positioning will be made depending on your individual warehouse space and operational requirements. In addition, consideration should be given to the maintenance program and ability to access the heaters for routine and regular servicing.
Radiant Heating for Warehouses
Radiant heaters including electric infrared heaters are designed to heat people and objects rather than the air. They work by being in direct line-of-sight with the intended target for heating. For this reason, they can work well in a warehouse with mixed use.
For example, consider a large warehouse in which 80% of the space is used purely for storage and 20% of the space is used by the workforce for packing. Radiant heating may be utilised effectively to heat the zoned space for the workforce.
Radiant heaters or electric infrared heaters are most commonly suspended from the warehouse ceiling but may also be wall mounted on special brackets.
Radiant heaters or electric infrared heaters can offer significant benefits for busy warehouses with multiple access points such as roller-shutter doors. This is because radiant heating only heats the objects and people in its path and not the air, so no warm air is “lost” when entering and exiting the warehouse space.
Find out more about Infrared Heating systems.
Warehouse Heating Control Systems
To deliver an energy efficient warehouse heating system, both the correct heating method and the correct control system must be selected. This will ensure maximum efficiency and minimum energy wastage.
The heating control system will need to be carefully aligned to the warehouse operations with consideration made to the areas used and the times the spaces are used.
For example, a different control strategy can be employed in a warehouse with multiple zones combining occasional use spaces with all-day working spaces. It may be that the occasional use space does not need to be heated to the same temperature as the all-day working space.
In addition, consideration can also be given to control system timings, covering different shift patterns and timing pre-heating appropriately so that the space is warmed for the start of the working period.
Weather patterns can also impact the requirement for heating so the system should be flexible and smart to allow for seasonal programming.
Inergy Group will work with you to determine the most appropriate warehouse heating control system for your needs, delivering on energy savings and efficiencies where possible.
Warehouse Heating Summary
Every warehouse space is unique to every business. There is no “perfect” solution or “one-size-fits-all” approach which can be made. Inergy Group take the time to understand your business needs and design and install a bespoke solution to deliver future-proof energy efficient warehouse heating solutions. Call us on 01204 929999.
