AHRI's Guide to Radiant Heating

Economical, efficient, safe – the heating solution that suits every multi-use sports hall

ARC continuous radiant tube systems are the professionals’ choice for sports hall heating, this is the future of heating in the fuel- and cost-conscious multi-use sports hall environment.  This system has been specified for the Optimum Sports Hall.

High-tech, low energy, low maintenance – today’s sports halls are more than just spaces for sports. They are the epitome of the energy efficient, low carbon building the government now requires of designers and specifiers.

The off-the-peg Optimum Sports Hall perhaps most aptly represents what can be achieved in environmentally efficient sports hall design, paring down operational costs, fuel consumption and emissions to the minimum, while maintaining comfort, function and aesthetics.

More traditional sports hall design presents challenges when it comes to maintaining a comfortable atmosphere. Of all the building services, heating is likely to be the most problematic. The reason is this: in one vast space, the comfort requirements of a cross-section of athletes and players, as well as sports hall staff and sedentary spectators, must be fully satisfied.

Achieving universal comfort and low energy consumption demands a particularly versatile heating system; a system that

*   warms up within minutes (not hours)

*   can be turned down to reduce temperature equally quickly should stuffiness start to build up

*    has an exceptional heat output to energy performance ratio

*    may be zoned so that unused areas need not be heated

*    operates a low noise levels

*    meets the comfort needs of all the sports hall’s users.

It is also absolutely crucial that the heating equipment will not compromise the fabric of the building, as underfloor heating has on occasion been found to do.

Ideal solution

No other heating system currently used in sports halls can match the energy efficiency of radiant tube heating. The installation of continuous radiant tube heating, such as the ARC from AmbiRad, will ensure even heat coverage throughout the space and comfort for building occupants, regardless of their level of activity.

The properties of radiant heating make it an ideal solution in sports halls. Radiant works like the sun, emitting infra red rays that warm only people and objects in their path.  No energy is wasted heating the volume of air in the hall – an important factor in buildings which are typically around 6000ft² with roof heights of 24-30ft. Heating 170,000ft³ of air to ensure people are warm at the lowest 6-9 feet is not feasible in terms of fuel efficiency.

Radiant heating also balances the different comfort needs of sedentary and active users. It doesn’t matter where in the building they are, they will always feel the warmth from the overhead-mounted radiant tubes.

The air remains relatively cool and conducive for active sports - at low level it does absorb some of the heat given off the people and the building fabric, but it is not heated directly. Building occupants feel comfortably warm at all times, to the level they require. And should people feel too warm, the close control possible with radiant means it can be turned down or off and temperatures reduce immediately.

Energy consumption can be reduced still further by zone control. This allows areas of the building that are not being used to remain unheated, without compromising comfort temperatures in areas that are in use.

Lower set temperatures           

The nature of radiant heating means that the burners can be set to operate at a temperature a few degrees lower than the comfort temperature required. In practice, this means that in a hall requiring constant background warmth of 65°F, the radiant system need only be set to operate at 60°C. Over time, this will result in fuel cost savings and reduced carbon emissions.

Radiant tube heaters burn fuel at the point of use, eliminating heat distribution losses or the need for a separate plant area. Their warmth can be felt with just a few minutes of switch-on, even on very cold days. Mounted at high level, the heaters are well out of the way of sports equipment and can be fitted with protective grilles for additional safety.

Flagship sports hall

Potential stars of the 2012 London Olympics, together with university students and local school children, are taking advantage of the flagship $11m indoor sports facility at Brunel University. And their training is made more comfortable thanks to the ARC continuous radiant tube heating that has been installed to provide state-of-the-art energy efficient heating.

The 30,000ft² athletics hall incorporates a 6-lane sprint and hurdles straight, long and triple jump pits, areas for pole vault and high jump and throws practice nets. The Netball Hall offers full-court netball together with four badminton and basketball courts. It is now the training base of the England netball team.

The ARC heaters were positioned at approximately 6m from floor level. Controlled centrally from the University’s building management system, they maintain a constant temperature of around 64-66°F.

Paul Gibbins, architect at Sport England, designers of the Optimum Sports Hall, comments: “Radiant heating is economical to install and effective in its distribution of heat. It is an effective generator of heat, economical and aesthetic. It provides quick warm up and easy control in different circumstances – for example, active sports or spectating.”

AmbiRad Updated Product Brochure!

Ambirad have updated their product brochure to include:

• VSX Range - Super High Efficiency InfraRed Radiant Heaters
• ARC Range - AmbiRad's Continuous Radiant Tube Heating System - Now Fully Modulating
• VPLUS Range - This includes our 2 Stage Tube Heaters

AmbiRad's Sports Hall Applications

In sports hall environments, radiant heating has two key advantages. First, it heats the space very quickly. Users feel warm within minutes – a particularly important factor in preventing muscle injury when people are engaged in active sports.

Second, the physical properties of radiant heat mean the system can be set to a lower air temperature than convection heaters to achieve the same level of comfort. For sports activities, for example, radiant heaters can be set to 60° F, yet the effect within the building is that of a heating system operating at 65°F. Over time, this will result in significant fuel cost savings. 


This video shows a selection of the sports hall installations we have completed recently.

Peerless Pump turn to AmbiRad and Citizens Energy to solve their heating problems.

Peerless Pump of Indianapolis has a long history of success and corporate responsibility in the Indianapolis market.  Its origins go back to the purchase of its existing facility from the US army in 1946.  Peerless Pump is a subsidiary of Grundfos who is one of the world's largest pump manufacturers, based in Denmark with more than 18,000 employees globally.  It is through the parent companies global commitment to the reduction of energy consumption and overall carbon footprint that facilitated this project.  When Energy and Safety Coordinator, Todd Walterman was tasked with this challenge he reached out locally to Freiji Engineered Systems.  Frieji has a long history of leading the market in technology and performance in industrial facilities. 

The building had minimal insulation and provided little resistance to infiltration.   The prior system utilized 34 gas unit heaters.  These units are estimated to be operating at less than 65% efficiency.  The unit heaters were controlled with independent non-programmable thermostats and were in need of repair. 

Mr. Walterman and Freiji’s energy specialist, Mark Montgomery, investigated two different system types when considering the proposed upgrade of the heating system.  Forced air heat and radiant heaters were analyzed. The analysis showed that radiant heat was the better solution based on the leaky nature of the building and the increased fan horsepower required with forced air. Once the determination was made what the best course of action would be, Mr. Montgomery contacted Craig Hale with Advanced Radiant Systems of Fishers.  Advanced Radiant Systems is the National Distributor for Ambirad.  Energy projects with Advanced Radiant’s input have won US Department of Energy Recognition.  Ambirad manufactures the highest efficiency heater of its type in all of North America.  The proposed upgrades included installing new ultra high efficiency gas fired radiant tube heaters with overall thermal efficiency greater than 90% and radiant efficiency in excess of 76%.  To take advantage of occupancy schedules, these units included controllers with programmable schedules, password protection, holiday override and network capability.  The units were grouped into eleven zones to allow for maximum turn down during light shifts and unoccupied periods.

Citizens Energy participated by providing a $25,000 rebate in support of the Peerless project.  Citizens would like to congratulate Peerless Pump, Mr. Walterman and his associates for being leaders in energy conservation.  Through energy conservation and rebates this project will have a return on investment of less than 4 years! Through investment in their own facility Peerless Pump has benefitted the entire community.  Peerless’s recognition of locally based energy experts in partnering to reach their goals continues to demonstrate their commitment in doing what’s best for the Indianapolis community just like they’ve been doing since 1946.

AmbiRad's Radiant Heaters Achieve an 80% Reduction in Fuel Consumption at Volvo

Volvo is world renown for its environmental consciousness, recently established a corporate goal to make all of its manufacturing facilities carbon neutral by 2012.  Additionally Volvo trucks have the U. S. Department of Energy Industrial Technologies Save Energy Now LEADER initiative which requires manufacturers to reduce their facilities energy intensity by 2.5% per year over a 10 year timeframe.

AmbiRad installed  60 High Efficiency VSX heaters in Volvo's Truck's NRV plant shipping building, replacing their warm air system.  The building is an ideal choice for radiant heating with it's high ceilings and high air change, as the radiant heater have a very quick response time.

The radiant heaters resulted in a headline 80% reduction in natural gas consumption, but the complete performance can be summarised as:

• Saving  61,000 therms natural gas per year.
• Saving 70,000 kWh electricity per year
• Saving  54 tons CO2 per year
• Saving $45,000-$50,000 per year
• Payback period 2.5 years

For details of this project please see the Volvo case study at the Department of Energy website.

Channel 9News - Reporting the News Whatever the Weather.

When severe snow prevented 9 News (Denver) from using there access ramp they turned to AmbiRad for a solution.  The only answer, without resorting to rebuilding the ramp, was to install overhead gas fired infrared heaters.

The system is designed to provide a high enough intensity of radiant heat to prevent the build up of ice and snow in even the harshest weather that Denver has to offer.

Snow No Problem for AmbiRad's Radiant Heaters

"Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep the postmen from their appointed rounds.” That’s the slogan that all US Postal employees are to live by. With that in mind, The United States Post Office in downtown Indianapolis needed a reliable and efficient solution to insure they met their duties.

At Andrew Jacobs Jr. Post Office, semi’s and mail trucks must go up an exposed ramp in order to reach loading areas. Unlike neighboring Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, they are not afforded the luxury of a roof that opens and closes as weather demands. During harsh Midwestern winters snow and ice often times builds up on the exposed ramp surface making it virtually impossible to climb. For this unique application Ambirad used 7 ultra high efficiency VSX series 140,000 btu U-tube heaters. Due to the complete exposure to the elements, custom enclosures were fabricated to protect the components of the heater. Ambirad’s standard stainless steel reflectors provide performance and reliability for the long term. Radiant energy insures that the mail will get to its destination regardless of the weather!

Mansfield Air National Guard: The High Efficiency Heating Solution

When Mansfield Air National Guard decided to  replace it's inefficient direct fired make up air system, in it's aircraft hangars, it looked to infrared. After specifying a traditional series burner system they recognized the importance of maximizing the radiant efficiency and chose to install Ambirad's VSX series high bay manifolded system. Although the base design would provide great savings over the make up air system, the VSX series with its dual canopy reflectors and ultra high efficiency burner made more sense in this application. They also incorporated the Smartcom control package offered exclusively by Ambirad.

Mcgrath Honda utilize AmbiRad's Vision Heaters

Chicagoland area's McGrath Honda's new state of the art facility needed a service area where customers could drop off their cars without facing the harsh Windy City winters. Designers recognized the function and efficiency provided with infrared heat. The problem was that the environment the dealership owner wanted to portray was neat and clean. The only overhead equipment to be in the space was the 42" plasma screens keeping their customers up to date with the progress of their vehicle.

Ambirads solution?

VS linear radiant tube heaters placed above the ceiling tiles with decorative grills to conceal the equipment. The result was a quiet system with no drafts and warm dry floors providing optimum comfort for their customers. Ambirad's heaters also rewarded them with quick recovery from opening and closing of bay doors and the lowest energy costs possible.