03/11/2025
We are testing and monitoring a new approach to the Village Hall heating. In the meantime, please do not touch the heating controls to attempt to change the temperature. More details below.
We work hard to use the resources of BHVH in the way that best serves our community. This includes managing finances carefully and making sure the main hall and John Hutchings room are comfortable for all users. One of our biggest expenditures is on heating and it’s particularly important to manage this effectively, especially as the outside temperatures begin to drop.
As you know, the current system is an old Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP). We are experimenting with different settings to maintain a constant temperature of 18-20C in both rooms when the hall is in use. The system is now set with weather compensation enabled, so it adjusts the temperature of the radiators up and down according to outside temperature. This will mean the radiators might feel cooler than you would expect when the outdoor temperature is mild.
This will minimise stress on the old ASHP by avoiding running it on maximum output for short periods of time. We hope this means the old one will continue without needing any new parts, until we can replace it with a new, modern ASHP. This is how the new system will be setup to run, so getting used to this in advance is useful.
We have been monitoring the system for the last week or so, thanks to the installation of some remote thermometers which allow us to track the temperature in the rooms every hour. We are also manually taking periodic electricity meter readings to approximately assess the impact of running the heat pump in this way.
While this new approach is being tested and monitored, please do not touch the heating controls to attempt to change the temperature. This includes switching the heating off completely, advancing the controls in the plant room, or adjusting radiator settings in a room. We have also removed the plug-in radiators from the John Hutchings room as we don’t believe they are necessary with this new approach and they are less efficient than the ASHP.
We will soon be installing a visual thermometer in the main hall so users can see what the current temperature is, as different people will experience the same temperature differently. What you can do to help us with this process, is to let us know by emailing [email protected] if you find the temperature too hot or cold during your visit over the winter months, with the time and date you were in the hall. If you were hiring the main hall, it is helpful to let us know what the temperature was on the visual thermometer, but don’t worry if you forgot to note it down as we can look it up based on time and date.
Many thanks for your co-operation.
