KEY FACTS AND REFERENCES

Two heating strategies: (a) heating the whole church and (b) heating only people with local heating
Two heating strategies: (a) heating the whole church and (b) heating only people with local heating

 

  • Costs - Our powerful heaters' maximum output is 90W/m with a plenty of reserves for all weather. At the current energy price of 20p/kWh the overall costs are as follows:

    average size church - for 120 people/ 60m pew heating ( 1m pew heating needed for 2 people) : 0.09kW/m x 20p/kWh x 60m = £1.08 per hour for the whole church if all sections are switched on. This cost is further reduced by switching off sections, lowering the temperature to medium (which is usually the typical setting) or switching OFF some pews (e.g. every second row of pews because of COVID precaution).

  • Tried and tested
    The KovoSchmidt heating system has been installed in churches of different sizes  – and this is the only heating solution in those churches, even when they are located in mountain regions where temperatures drop below minus 10°C.

  • A unique system produced only by KovoSchmidt, which revolutionises pew heating.

  • Good value
    The pew heating system is only a fraction of the price of other systems such as those which need a boiler room and a network of pipes and pumps and it is 1/10th of the price of underfloor or ground source heating systems - and our pew heating provides much better local heating.

  • Maintenance free
    In contrast to other systems, where maintenance, repairs and refurbishment costs can be considerable.

  • Environmental benefits
    The energy consumption of the KovoSchmidt system is only 1/10th of radiator based heating systems so it reduces the carbon footprint and leads to big savings in energy bills.

  • Only has to be switched on 10 minutes before any service.

  • Preservation of artwork
    The pew heating system is ideal for historic churches because it does not create dust and condensation which damage church interiors, organs and paintings.

  • Components are quality UK made and ISO 9001:2008 certified. Fabrics used are fire retardant according to B1 Crib 5 fire class. Public Liability Insurance.

  • Quick response & 10 year guarantee We are a small multinational company with our head office based in London. Our network of local experienced subcontractors ensures a prompt response under our 10 year guarantee. The system is installed and certified by NICEIC- or NAPIT Approved Contractors. 

Upholstery fabric:

We use contract upholstery fabric that is above standards. The Panaz- and Sekers Contract Upholstery collections meet fire retardant standards without the need for chemical treatments and has at least 40,000 Martindale abrasion resistance. For more colour and design options please follow the Panaz website link http://www.panaz.com/en/collections/list/hospitality/

Sekers: https://www.sekersfabrics.co.uk/sekers-collections/ or alternatively let us know if other designs are preferred. The new generation of microfibre cleaning clothes are extremely effective for cleaning without the need for detergents for general care and maintenance. Solvent based cleaning agents are not allowed.

The most popular colours and patterns are (click on pictures to enlarge them):

References

 

Responses taken from emails to our question to churches after a few months of experiencing our heating systems:

 

 Holy Trinity Church, Whitfield, Revd. Jonathan Russell:

 "…the system was very cosy, and very much appreciated by everyone. Many thanks…"

 "…The members of my congregation were most impressed with how neat, as well as how warm the installation is: thank you for being considerate of our ancient building…"

 

St. James's Church, West Malvern, Susan Matthews:

 ’’ ..  we are very happy with the system..’’, ‘’ Thank you for such a clever invention!’’

 

All Saints’ Church, Richard’s Castle, Roland Alden : 

 "The system has performed well during this very cold weather and the feedback has been excellent."

 

St. Peter’s Church, Newton Bromswold, Helen Lines:

 ’The heating system has received many favourable comments.’’

 

Port of Menteith Church, Coldon, Scotland, Sheena M. M. Crichton:

  ‘’..the pew heating is very economic and effective and we are very pleased with it. It looks extremely smart and is comfortable to sit on..’’

 

 

St Mary’s Church, Claverton, Diane Sykes:

 “We used the system for the first time at our Carol Service on Sunday and it was a great success.”

 

Sacred Heart Church, Hillsborough, Sheffield, Pauline McConnon's (Chair of Parish Council) letter:

"On behalf of Fr Michael, the Heating Sub Committee and the parishioners, here at Sacred Heart,

I would like to express our immense gratitude to you and your amazing team of craftsmen!

 The expertise and professionalism of yourself and those working alongside you have, at times, left us speechless. We could not have had better service and we are very, very grateful for all the hours you put in to complete the project for us on schedule.

 Well, our parishioners felt the full effects of it last weekend and feedback was indeed very good-not least of all because we sat in a very cold church throughout last winter! It was a whole new experience for them and we feel encouraged that our congregation can now celebrate in a warm, comfortable environment''..."We will certainly be recommending you!".

 

St Catherine's Church, Montacute, Nicholas, Laycock, PCC Treasurer,  :

"The seats were much admired last Sunday at the Harvest Service where we gave thanks for you and all your team.", "The beautiful upholstery is commented upon frequently by visitors to the church".

 

St Swithun's Church, Leadenham:

(article 'Pew, what a scorcher!'  in The Sun on 14th March 2022) "It's a God-send. Some of the congregation don't want to stand for hymns now".

 

St. Edmund's church Stoulton, Sandra Marchant, churchwarden :

"A BIG thank you" postcard received by email. 

 

 

 The first church with our installation in England - All Saints’ church, Cranham, London that opted for our heated seats had it installed in only half of the church. After trying it through a winter they decided to extend the system to the whole church. This option is available to those churches that wish to try the heated seat method out before deciding whether to install it throughout the building.