Eco News from Radyr, Cardiff

Eco News from Radyr - Infra-Red Heating Installation

New Heaters at Radyr Methodist Church, Cardiff

It is not easy to spot new heaters in Radyr Church, Cardiff & Caerphilly Circuit.  With the ambition to be carbon

neutral by 2030, the church replaced the very dated and expensive-to-run electric wall-mounted heaters, freestanding electric heaters and water heaters, in the older part of the church building with highly efficient infra-red heaters, with 3 hive thermostats to control them divided into three areas. This made a very noticeable improvement to our comfort in the old hall and the two upstairs rooms.

Next in 2024, partly funded with a Synod grant, came removing the gas-fired boiler and radiators in the remaining parts of the church including the sanctuary. In this phase of the project 16 heaters (7 panels, 9 bars), 5 thermostats and a gateway were required so that we could control and monitor the heaters remotely, including setting timers and temperatures. The sanctuary heating is divided into two areas to save energy when only half the area is in use.

Immediate benefits included warmer rooms and more responsive heating controls. Additionally, there was reduced energy consumption since rooms only need to be heated 30 minutes in advance of their use, whereas previously it took a couple of hours using the gas central heating system.

There were teething problems, including adjusting settings to get the right temperature. The remote controls proved less flexible and comprehensive than expected and the wi-fi had to be improved to ensure remote communication was effective. However, teething problems with new technology are to be expected and the benefits have been significant!

During the first full year of being gas-free the amount of energy used (in kWh) fell by 25%. Of course, the annual energy usage fluctuates depending on building usage and weather patterns so we will continue to monitor and report energy usage in units (kWh) and cost (£). This project has helped the church to achieve Silver Eco-Church status in recognition of our commitment to the environment and caring for God’s creation.

With an additional grant from Synod and support of the Circuit, Radyr is now in the final phase by installing solar panels with battery storage and generating our own electricity, and hopefully selling some of it back to the grid! We are sharing the news of our move to being carbon neutral and our Eco Church awards with the local community in our outreach work and Green Fairs.