AmbiRad radiant heating serves up warmth at Bath University Sports Training Village

Elite athletes and aspiring amateurs visiting the state-of-the-art Sports Training Village (STV) at Bath University feel comfortably warm during cold weather, thanks to the installation of a Nor-Ray-Vac continuous radiant tube heating system from AmbiRad.

The Sport England-funded facility, a national sporting Centre of Excellence, is the training ground for several of the UK’s leading athletes, including Jason Gardener, the international and Olympic medal-winning sprinter. It is also home to the England Rugby Academy and the regional headquarters of the Lawn Tennis Association.

Many different sports are accommodated in the single building – tennis, badminton, netball, aerobics, 5-a-side football, volleyball, basketball, athletics, throwing events and martial arts.

The building is divided into a number of discrete areas and functions – a multi-use hall for sports and non-sporting activities such as exhibitions; a tennis hall; gymnasium; fitness centre; a do jang for martial arts; bobsleigh start track; and projectile hall.

Nor-Ray-Vac continuous radiant tube heating, with a total of 24 burners ranging from 24 to 38kW output, was installed in the Tennis halls, and Multi-Purpose Sports Hall to provide even, low intensity heat at a constant 16-18°C.

Radiant was selected for these applications for a variety of reasons:

• Aesthetics – the heaters are suspended from the roof at high level, minimising their obtrusion for players
• Safety – they are out of reach of most equipment, but protected by grilles for additional safety
• Convenience – unlike conventional heating systems, the heaters do not take up floor space
• Efficiency – all fuel is burnt at the point of use, eliminating distribution losses. The heaters are also highly energy efficient, with a rating of 92% thermal efficiency. Radiant tube heating warms only objects and people in its path, so the heat is felt at the lowest two metres of the building while no energy is wasted heating the volume of air.
• Effectiveness – continuous radiant tube heating rapidly takes the chill off the area without overheating during periods of activity.

Peter Jonik, Building Services Engineer for the STV, comments: “Radiant is an ideal solution for this type of sports facility. The system needs to run for just 1-1˝ hours a day to maintain an ambient 18°C. It warms up very rapidly and takes the chill off the air within minutes. It is also much more economic for heating a sports hall than a wet system.”