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Wall mounted EXO heaters in a church

Christ Church New Mill | Infrared Church Heating Case Study

Open Day - Saturday 19 September 2026

See ARCAngel in action

Christ Church New Mill is hosting an Achieving Net Zero Open Day on Saturday 19 September 2026, 10:30 to 14:30. You can see the heating system, speak with those involved in the project and learn about the church's journey from an ageing gas system to electric heating with solar generation.

Christ Church New Mill, Sude Hill, New Mill, Holmfirth, HD9 7ER

No booking is needed. Just come along. To find out more beforehand, call 0800 210 0288 or email [email protected]

“We are so far pleased with the system - our treasurer is particularly pleased. It was costing us £70 to £100 per weekend in gas, but three hours of electrical heating cost us only around £30. The saving is very significant.”
- Geoffrey Lockwood, Chair of the PCC, Christ Church New Mill

Christ Church New Mill - a Grade II listed Victorian church in the Holme Valley, West Yorkshire - replaced its ageing gas-fired heating system with a full infrared solution, as part of a wider Net Zero project that also included rooftop solar panels.

The church, which dates back to the nineteenth century and holds regular Sunday services as well as community events, faced a common challenge: a vast, draughty building where the old gas boiler had to be switched on the day before a service to achieve any meaningful warmth - at a cost of £70 to £100 per weekend.

Following consultation with ARC Thermal Solutions - who had previously supplied heaters for the church's gallery room in 2023 - the church appointed ARC to design and supply a complete infrared system. The project was awarded Church of England Demonstrator Church status, with a grant helping to fund the installation as part of the diocese's Net Zero 2030 programme.

Warmth felt by congregation within minutes of switching on

Estimated saving of £2,550 per year vs gas

10.38 tonnes of CO₂ saved annually

Discreet appearance - heaters blend with historic building interior

Discover ARCAngel Church Heating Solutions Learn About Infrared Heating for Churches

Installation Outcomes for Christ Church, New Mill

BEFORE AFTER
Ageing gas-fired boiler system ETHERMA EXO Dark 2000 infrared heating (overhead) + Serenity under-pew heaters
£70–100 per weekend in gas ~£30 for three hours at full unit rate
Building preheated from the previous day Warmth felt within minutes - no pre-heating requiredvious day Warmth felt within minutes - no pre-heating required
Entire building heated regardless of use Zoned by area - heat only where the congregation is seated
High CO₂ emissions from gas combustion 10.38 tonnes of CO₂ saved per year

The Challenge

The previous heating system consisted of a gas-fired boiler serving the main nave, with hot water pipes.

The system was old, expensive to run, and fundamentally unsuited to a building used primarily for just a few hours each week.

Gas boiler system

Serving the entire building

1,050 kWh per service

Energy used per Sunday (15 hrs × 70kW)

£70–100 every weekend

Running cost in gas alone

The church is used primarily on Sunday mornings, with occasional events during the week. Because the building is so large and draughty - with high ceilings, large windows, and stone walls - the gas system required heating to be switched on the previous day to achieve a rise of just 6 –10°C. This meant paying to heat an empty building overnight, every week.

“With the old gas system, we had to start heating the church the day before a service just to achieve a reasonable temperature - and we were paying £70 to £100 every weekend for the privilege.”
- Geoffrey Lockwood, Chair of the PCC, Christ Church New Mill

How a decision was made

Two companies were invited to review options and provide quotations:

A national heating provider

Provided a comparable quotation for infrared heating.

ARC Thermal Solutions

Recommended based on existing relationship (gallery heaters installed 2023). The appearance and specification of ARC's heaters were judged to be the better fit for the listed building interior.

The church chose ARC Thermal Solutions, citing the superior aesthetic fit of the heaters within the listed building interior, and ARC's proven track record in the building from the gallery installation two years earlier.

“We decided to take ARC's heaters because the appearance of their products would more suitably fit the church- and we had already seen their work in our gallery room.”
- Geoffrey Lockwood, Chair of the PCC, Christ Church New Mill

Key customer objectives

Understanding what Christ Church New Mill needed to achieve was central to how ARC designed and specified the heating solution.

Net Zero commitment

The church had applied for and received Church of England Demonstrator Church status, with a target of eliminating carbon from all its energy use as rapidly as possible.

Cost reduction

Weekend gas bills of £70 –100 were unsustainable. The church needed a solution that would deliver meaningful long-term savings.

Congregation comfort

Infrared provides immediate warmth to the people in the pews - not the air - solving the 'cold church' problem without hours of pre-heating.

Heritage compliance

As a Grade II listed building, any installation required faculty approval from the Diocese and sensitivity to the historic building fabric.

Wall mounted EXO heaters in a church.

Why infrared heating was the right solution for Christ Church, New Mill

The building is used at specific times

infrared means no wasted energy pre-heating empty space.

Warmth

is felt within minutes of switching on, ensuring comfort before services begin.

Zoned control

allows individual areas (nave, chancel, side aisles) to be heated independently.

The heaters blend with the historic interior

black finish under dark balcony panelling, white finish elsewhere.

Solar PV on the roof

directly offsets the running cost, making the system increasingly sustainable over time.

Electric infrared

is compatible with renewable energy tariffs, supporting the church's Net Zero 2030 commitment.

ARCAngel Church Heating Brochure

Working through faculty and heritage approval

As a Grade II listed building, Christ Church New Mill required faculty approval from the Diocese before any changes to the heating system could be made. The planning application and submission to the Georgian Group also required careful attention to the visual impact of the installation.

ARC worked with the church throughout the design process, producing detailed layout drawings and specification documents for the faculty application. Key decisions that supported approval included selecting black-finish heaters for the nave (mounted under the dark balcony panelling where they are barely visible) and white-finish heaters where the beams are painted, ensuring the heaters complement rather than intrude on the historic interior.

The planning application emphasised that the installation had minimal impact on the appearance of the building, with the heaters visible only from a small number of external positions. Faculty 2024-104557 was granted on 7 July 2025.

“The staff at ARC Thermal Solutions were helpful at all stages - from the initial design recommendations through several modifications as our thinking evolved.”
- Geoffrey Lockwood, Chair of the PCC, Christ Church New Mill
How to heat a church without damaging the building's historic fabric

Installation & Practicalities

ARC Thermal Solutions supplied all heaters and controllers. Installation was carried out by MJL Electrical, the church's trusted local electrician, with whom ARC worked closely throughout.

20 overhead heaters

EXO Dark 2000 - black and white finish across 5 zones in the nave

12 under-pew heaters

Serenity (KST080) installed beneath the choirstall pews

9 control zones

Power regulators grouped by area for flexible day-to-day use

The heater controllers are housed in a bespoke cabinet on the west nave wall, finished to match the surrounding paintwork and positioned close to the churchwarden's pew for easy operation during services.

“Although ARC would have installed the heaters themselves, they cooperated fully with our regular local electricians, which we very much appreciated.”
- Geoffrey Lockwood, Chair of the PCC, Christ Church New Mill

Controls & day to day use

The system uses nine Infresco power regulators to manage the 32 heaters across the church, grouped into zones that reflect how the building is actually used:

Zone 1 (4 heaters)

North side nave, nearest the chancel

Zone 2 (10 heaters)

Central nave, main congregation seating

Zone 3 & 4 (4+2 heaters)

Side naves

Zone 5 (12 under-pew heaters)

Choirstalls·

“The system is straightforward to operate - the controls are in a cabinet right next to the churchwarden's pew, so whoever is managing the service has easy access.”
- Geoffrey Lockwood, Chair of the PCC, Christ Church New Mill
EEZ Medium Wave Infrared Heaters Suspended From Ceiling.

Comfort and feedback

The congregation has responded positively. On the first occasion the full electric system was used, both the choir and the congregation reported being comfortable - even though the air temperature was around 10°C, cooler than would have been achieved with the old gas system.

This is infrared heating working exactly as it should: warming the people directly, not the air. Because radiant heat is absorbed by the body, congregants feel warmer than the ambient air temperature suggests.

"Although the air was colder than with the old gas system, the majority of the congregation were comfortable sitting in the pews at 80% power - and we know we can increase it further if needed."

  • Geoffrey Lockwood, Chair of the PCC, Christ Church New Mill

The heaters blend well visually with the historic interior. The black-finish EXO Dark heaters under the dark balcony panelling are virtually invisible in use, and the white-finish units on the painted beams complement the building fabric rather than intrude on it.

Read more customer feedback - explore testimonials
Under pew heater.

Running costs and sustainability

"It was costing us around £70 to £100 per weekend in gas. Three hours of electrical heating cost us only around £30 at the full unit rate - a very significant saving."

- Geoffrey Lockwood, Chair of the PCC, Christ Church New Mill

Estimated annual saving of £2,550 compared with the previous gas system

10.38 tonnes of CO₂ saved per year - equivalent to planting over 460 trees

57,750 kWh of energy saved annually

Projected payback period of 10.3 years (heaters and controllers)

Solar panels on the roof generated 3,899 kWh in the first five months (October 2025 – March 2026), further reducing running costs

The system supports the Church of England's Net Zero 2030 target

Read: The sustainability challenge for churches

Net Zero & Demonstrator Church Status

Christ Church New Mill was awarded Church of England Demonstrator Church status as part of the Diocese's Net Zero programme - one of a select number of churches specifically chosen for funding to demonstrate how congregations can reduce their carbon footprint to zero.

The project was delivered in two stages. Stage 1 - the installation of a 17kW rooftop solar array, which was completed in August 2025 under faculty 2024-104557. Stage 2 - the replacement of the gas heating system with ARCAngel infrared, followed in October/November 2025. Both stages were required to be substantially complete by the end of 2025 as a condition of the Demonstrator Church grant.


The result is a church that is now largely powered by renewable electricity (generated on site) and heated by a system that uses energy only when and where it is needed.

Project Outcomes

Congregation comfortable from the first service

Estimated saving of £2,550 per year

10.38 tonnes CO₂ saved annually

Full faculty and Georgian Group approval achieved

Heaters blend discreetly with Grade II listed interior

Demonstrator Church status - supporting diocese Net Zero 2030

Reflections

“If your church is considering replacing its heating system, I would strongly recommend looking at infrared - particularly if you are in a listed building or have high energy bills. The process of working with ARC, from the initial design through to installation, was straightforward and well-supported at every stage.”
- Geoffrey Lockwood, Chair of the PCC, Christ Church New Mill

Infrared heaters begin warming the people and fabric of the building immediately on switch-on. At Christ Church New Mill, the system was switched on around 30 minutes before the congregation arrived - compared to the previous day with the old gas boiler.

Yes. Christ Church New Mill successfully obtained faculty approval and Georgian Group sign-off for the installation. ARC Thermal Solutions prepared the specification documentation and worked with the church through the approval process. The heaters are available in black and white finishes to suit different interior environments.

Yes - and the combination is particularly effective. Christ Church New Mill's solar array generated 3,899 kWh in just the first five months, directly offsetting the running cost of the infrared system.

Christ Church New Mill estimates annual savings of approximately £2,550 against their previous gas costs. The exact saving will depend on how often the building is used, the size of the space, and current energy tariffs. ARC can provide a detailed cost comparison for your church.

The system uses Etherma EXO Dark 2000 overhead heaters (in both black and white finish) for the nave, and ARCAngel Serenity under-pew heaters in the choirstalls. Control is via nine Infresco power regulators grouped into zones.

Want to read the full independent report by Christ Church New Mill?


The PCC completed a comprehensive review of the entire project, and have kindly shared it with us, as it is a large file, please get in touch, and we will happily share the full document with you.

A shorter version focussed around the infrared heating has been compiled below - but the full document is available on request.

Download the snapshot