Our top tips for saving money on heating this winter!

We hate to face up to it, but the fact is, winter is here! The clocks have gone back, Halloween has been and gone, and the temperatures are starting to drop lower and lower.

As you know, here at Cross Electrical we offer Thermal Insulation, Electrical Trace Heating, Frost Protection and Temperature Maintenance services to businesses and individuals up and down the country. We also supply underfloor heating services – which is one fantastic way to chop your energy bills in half for the winter!

The GREEN ELECTRIC MAT From Hemstedt with unilateral connection and i-sleeve (see more here) is the floor heating mat that provides economically efficient heating. Underfloor heating is also a luxury in the winter months, creating an ambient temperature and a pleasant warm floor underfoot. A luxury that saves you money and helps the environment – for us it’s a no brainer!

But what else can you do to save on your bills this winter...?

Put on a jumper!

Okay, this may sound silly, but it’s true! Most families have the heating on at 20 degrees centigrade all day, and wander about the house comfortably in a T-shirt. By turning down your thermostat by just one degree, to 19 degrees, you can shave £60 a year from your bill! If you feel cold just wear a few more layers, but you will barely notice the difference if your house is well insulated!

Be clever!

You can make sure that the central heating and hot water is off when you’re out for the day - whether that’s at work, school or visiting friends and family! By using your timer carefully and cleverly, so it comes on only when absolutely necessary, you can save a lot of money!

Turn off the radiators in rooms you don’t use, like a guest bedroom for example, and keep windows and doors closed if the heating is turned on.

Go old school

As well as wrapping up, why not buy a hot water bottle! These days you can pick one up for less than £4 and they can really help to keep you warm, especially in bed at night! As well as this, stock up on fleecy blankets and throws to keep you warm! You can buy lovely soft throws on the high street or in supermarkets for a fiver – which will save you a lot of money if it means turning your thermostat a bit more!

Be careful with your lights

Lighting accounts for 19% of the average household’s electricity bill. One no brainer is switching to energy-saving bulbs – which can knock over £55 a year off your bills!

Cut out your bad habits when it comes to having your lights on! Be vigilant in turning off lights when you’re going out, or if you’re not in a room.  Unplug appliances that have a light on when inactive. That includes the TV, DVD player and even your mobile phone charger.

Keep your heat in!

Don’t let heat you’re paying for slip out! Make sure that you draw the curtains or blinds at night and use draught-blockers for doors to maintain as much keep as possible!

These are but a few on the many tips that float around when it comes to keeping your and your home warm without facing huge winter energy bills! Do you have any other tips or tricks up your sleeves? We’d love to hear them so drop us a comment below or contact us on FB or Twitter!

Our Thermal Insulation Services

As you may know from reading our previous blogs, heat flow is an unavoidable effect of the contact of objects of inconsistent temperatures. What our thermal insulation can supply is a way to maintain a steady gradient of temperature. It does this by providing an area of insulation in which heat flow is reduced or thermal radiation is reflected rather than absorbed.

We have worked hard to build a strong reputation for the provision of efficient and reliable insulation services to the commercial, industrial and public sectors. Experienced in all aspects of pipework insulation and trace heating systems, we have completed a large number of installations for various businesses involved in power generation, petrochemicals, water utilities, heating and ventilation services amongst many others!

Our thermal insulation applications supply frost protection, heat conservation and personnel protection for process lines, and the prevention of freezing to pipework and vessels.

Our range of thermal insulation services include:

• Heating
• Hot Water Services 
• Chilled Water Lines 
• Process Lines 
• Petrochemical Pipe Work 
• Petrochemical Plant Tanks 
• Vessels 
• Hoppers 
• Filter Systems 
• Personnel Protection 

We also offer bespoke sheet metal manufacturing to pipelines, flanges, valves, vessels and ductwork.

We also provide a large assortment of purpose-made insulation jackets suitable for valve & flange covers, mobile vessel covers and completely electrically heated jackets. Our thermal insulation engineers are on hand to offer valuable advice to all customers, ensuring their needs are met comprehensively from the outset.

Cross Thermal Insulation Services are pleased to offer any technical advice and explicit specification application support. We would be only too pleased to provide a full quotation package from on-site measurements through drawing take-offs to a bill of quantities!

For more information and technical advice, please call Cross Thermal today on - 01159 375 121

What’s so great about our XEL-W Hot Water Pipework system

We promote our modern solution, the XEL-W, because it offers an effective, energy efficient solution for hot water pipe work within re-circulation systems. With global warming being such a widely talked about issue, and everyone becoming more and more aware of their carbon footprint, energy efficiency is an important part of the building and construction industry.

In fact, UK building regulations require all engineers, architects and builders to ensure that they work hard to reduce energy use in the areas in which they work, and they must to utilise renewable sources of energy.

That is where our  XEL-W hot water pipework comes in. Just one area in which those working in these types of industry can make an impact on this reduction in the energy use of a whole building, our hot water pipework is extremely efficient.

Standard methods of hot water distribution in a building, often referred to as ‘flow and return’, don’t necessarily work with in commercial use.

This is because the system is not energy efficient for commercial and industry use and can often lead to significant heat losses and subsequently money losses.

Our aim is to ensure your industry is utilising the correct temperature maintenance when building or constructing homes and buildings to enable the best cost-effectiveness for yourself and your clients in addition to using energy efficiently. 

XEL-W  offers an effective solution for hot water pipe work within re-circulation systems. This piece of equipment can have a significant impact on energy efficiency. By combining hot water comfort with economical methods, the self-regulating heating cable fitted can compensate for the heat loss of water in the pipe while ensuring that hot water is delivered at the desired temperature the whole way through to the hot water system.

It’s the perfect solution for hot water temperature maintenance of pipes in:

•  Family homes
•  Industry buildings
•  Hospitals
•  Sports centres
•  Houses and flats

By providing hot water from every tap outlet it eliminates the necessity for return pipe work and reduces energy consumption. What’s even better is that it is very easy to install and no maintenance is required. 

With 50% less pipe work than normal hot water pipe work systems the XEL-W has been specifically designed for such application and can even be fitted to existing systems preventing the running of gallons of cold water in order to get to the hot water.

What is Trace Heating?

With this month’s blog we are going back to basics, explaining exactly what Trace Heating is and what it is used for. As we are specialists in Trace Heating systems, we automatically assume that everyone knows exactly what it is and how is works, which is obviously not the case. So what is Trace Heating? Read on to find out...

What is Trace Heating?

Trace heating, known as Electric heat tracing, heat tape or surface heating, is a system used to maintain or raise the temperature of pipes and vessels. Trace heating takes the form of an electrical heating element run in physical contact along the length of a pipe. The pipe must then be covered with thermal insulation to retain heat losses from the pipe. Heat generated by the element then maintains the temperature of the pipe. Trace heating is used for many applications from protecting pipes from freezing, to maintaining a constant flow temperature in hot water systems, or to maintain process temperatures for piping that must transport substances that solidify at ambient temperatures.

When did Trace Heating come about?

Electric trace heating began in the 1930s but to begin with no dedicated equipment was available. Mineral insulated cables were run at high current densities to produce heat, and control equipment was adapted from other applications. Mineral-insulated resistance heating cables were introduced in the 1950s, and then parallel-type heating cables that could be cut to length in the field became available. Self-limiting thermoplastic cables were marketed in 1971.

So what is Trace Heating used for?

The most widespread pipe trace heating applications include:

Temperature maintenance

Road & Ramp Outdoor Surface Heating

Anti-condensation

Gulley and roof snow / ice protection

Frost protection and freeze prevention

Door / frame interface ice protection

Window de-misting

Pond freeze protection

Soil warming

Anti-cavitation purpose

Here at Cross Electrical, we’ve been controlling the temperature for industries for over 40 years, so why compromise? Call us today on -01159722050

Heating throughout history

Fire had been the original and obvious source for home heating for throughout history and until recent times was the only source for home heating. With this being said, the manner in fire has been used for heating has changed greatly.

In the Skara Brae site in Orkney, Scotland (3180 BCE-2500 BCE) the homes contained a square hearth in the center for both eating and cooking. This standard heating unit with a hearth in the center of the room and a smoke hole overhead, continued in some parts of the world up until the Middle Ages, but in the Roman world great improvements were made. The upper class Roman had a hypocaust heating system. In this system, the floor was raised several feet off the ground on tile pillars, and fires were then built underneath the floors, becoming the first known case of radiant heating.[i]

The fireplace as we know it today first came around in the 1200’s. During these times they were likely to smoke up a room due to the lack of chimneys. This impracticality meant that fireplaces themselves were often built more for aesthetic reasons over practical uses.

The radiator was obviously a huge improvement in heating a room when it was invented in 1855. Hot water or steam was used to heat individual rooms, but with simplistic thermostats often meant it was difficult to get the temperature right where it was wanted. There have been stories from the 1800’s of people having to open the windows in winter when a room have overheated.

The furnace was introduced in the late Victorian period, where a central unit could heat an entire building. By the middle of the 20th century, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning systems had been introduced throughout the western world.

Cross Electrical (Nottingham) Ltd specialises in the design, manufacture, supply and install electrical trace heating systems incorporating a thermal insulation division. Our fully qualified service and installation engineers provide both a national and international coverage for all types of application within industry and commerce.

HERE AT CROSSELECTRICAL WE ARE THE CONTROLLERS OF TEMPERATURE!

Call us today on - +44 (0)115 937 5121

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[i] http://timourrashed.com/ancient-methods-heating-home/

The history of underfloor heating

Did you know that underfloor heating is far from a new concept? It has actually been dated back as far as the Neolithic period and has been used throughout history as a main form of heating. The type of underfloor heating we offer to you today is a far cry from some of the methods used in the past.  We’ve compiled a concise history of some of the inventive systems used by our ancestors to heat their homes.

The earliest forms of heated flooring have been dated back to as early as 5,000 BC. Archaeologists have found evidence that shows the use of ‘baked flooring’ dating back to this time. Found in China, these methods heated floors by drafting hot smoke from fires through trenches cut into the floors.
There is evidence that the Romans were using underfloor heating systems on a larger scale by around 500 BC. Their homes were constructed with voids in the floors and walls through which air, warmed by an open fire, could pass through to heat the structure. These systems were often used in Roman baths and would heat the pools of water as well as the rooms.

In the following 500 years, similar methods of underfloor heating was widely used throughout China and Korea, but was not used significantly in Europe until much later. These days it has developed so much that it has become one of the most energy efficient forms of heating available on the market. As people are striving towards more energy efficient homes, underfloor heating is being used more and more in both commercial and residential new build properties.
The systems of today are exceptionally comfortable and controllable. They remove the need for radiators resulting in more room space and heat provided underfloor is distributed completely evenly causing is zero dust circulation.

This simple method of heating has been available from us for many years, providing a cost effective and energy efficient system for any application. We have the products and support to make your project run smoothly, offering a free quotation service and practical advice. Our electric under floor heating products can be installed in hours without the need for specialist tools or skills, the products we propose are low profile and won't raise floor levels.   Call us today for more information!

Prevent Downtime with Heat Tracing

By preparing for winter; processing plants, machinery and equipment means production can continue as normal through the season. Installing Cross Electrical heat tracing cables can avoid constant maintenance and improve machine efficiency and ultimately prevent downtime.

It is considered good practice to develop an action plan during cold snaps to assist in prioritising and managing problems. This could include anything from frozen pipes to the unavailability of staff during very bad weather conditions.

Investing in trace heating will mean that vulnerable parts of machinery and the plant itself stay operational during the cold weather by running an electrical current alongside pipes. These pipes are then coated in thermal protection to prevent heat escaping. This allows the hot water system to flow continually despite the weather.

Cross Electrical have a wide range of trace heating cables to suit a variety of frost protection applications. This also includes our own XSSTC, XHP, XSW and XEL heating cables that can be designed for many winterisation projects. Thermostatically controlled, the heating cables only ever energise when temperatures drop below a pre-configured figure, acting to prevent the disastrous consequences of winter.

The XHP family of fixed resistance, constant wattage heating cables is used for metal, plastic pipes and vessels. XHP heating cables can be designed for non-standard heating applications using any voltage from 6 to 415 volts. These cables provide fixed resistance; therefore circuit resistance can be tested periodically regardless of ambient or process temperatures and can be used on applications up to 280⁰C.

The XEL family of self-regulating, parallel circuit heating cables is used for frost protection of metal and plastic pipes and vessels. With the facility to cut on site to the required length, XEL heating cables provide a reliable heating solution to the problem of frozen pipework.

Cross Electrical can manufacture, design and install a complete trace heating system to solve any problems that future winters may cause and will ensure that your pipe work never freezes again.

Temperature maintenance and trace heating in your holiday home

If you’re lucky enough to own a holiday home or string of holiday homes it is probable that with vacation season being over your properties are more than likely to see a reduction in the number of holiday makers, guests and visitors.

As the nights get darker and the weather and temperatures cool your holiday homes will require more regular maintenance with an absence of body heat from passing people, traffic and day-to-day activities.

While you are not present at your holiday home, you should put in place such a maintenance program to keep your property in good working  order not only to keep running costs down but to be sure that it is at its most efficient and attractive when holiday season begins again.

Taking consideration to risks will keep your property safe, secure and functioning when you are unlikely to be visiting or renting out.

Prepare for winter

As many of us have experienced over the winter months, when temperatures plunge there is a high likelihood of pipes freezing or bursting.

Such damage can not only be harmful to your home but also to your bank balance and if it happens at a time when your holiday home is unoccupied, it can mean the burst pipe can go unnoticed for weeks which can cause even further damage – damaged ceilings, water-soaked furniture and ruined electrical appliances can be the nasty consequences of such an eventuality.

Without taking the right precautions freezing temperatures are likely to damage the plumbing and pipe systems for your vacation property.

There are many ways that you can prevent burst water and heating pipes and leaks:

Switching on NOT off

One of the main causes of frozen pipes is turning off the central heating completely when your holiday home is empty. While this can seem a cost efficient solution in terms of saving energy and money while your holiday home isn’t occupied it can expose your home to the outside temperatures in addition to the exposure of irreparable damage being caused to burst pipes.

As one of the main causes of frozen pipes, switching off your central heating completely and preventing the continuous flow of water is not the solution. It is recommended to leave your heating on a low temperature to minimise such dangers particularly during the coldest months (aim between 7 and 15 degrees) and consider a timer.

Lagging

Hot water or heating pipe work contained in unheated areas such as lofts, cellars and basements or those within the walls of your holiday home will be more prone to freezing.  As pipes are often situated above the insulation you should ensure that they are lagged well with insulating foam coverings. The thinner the pipes, the thicker the insulation sleeves should be. Water tanks also need insulation too. If your pipes are located in a loft space, keep the loft door ajar to allow heat to circulate. 

Drip Drop

You will have noticed a reoccurring theme in the above two methods – flow. Keeping the fluid within your pipe work continuously flowing will prevent water from freezing and therefore bursting as it provides pressure relief.

Simply turning off a tap for the prolonged period that your holiday home is empty will not be enough to prevent freezing as with a lot of water already in your heating and hot water systems putting a stop to the flow will build up pressure. Allowing your taps to drip slightly will keep water flowing albeit extremely slowly.

Drain

Suddenly stopping a continuous flow for a long period is likely to cause problems. Ask yourself, where is the water already in the system going to go? If it is cold, it will freeze; pressure will build up and as a consequence – burst.

Consider getting a qualified plumber to drain down the water and central heating system which will remove any risks to freezing completely.  

Temperature maintenance/Trace heating

While lagging outside or under insulated pipes can seem like enough, it isn’t always which is when having a temperature maintenance or trace heating system fitted can lower the risks the freezing temperatures can pose.

Having a low voltage electrical cable with frost thermostats wrapped around your pipes beneath the lagging is an excellent prevention method.

Thermostatically controlled, the heating cables only ever energise when temperatures drop below a stipulated figure, acting to prevent the disastrous consequences of winter.

Never overheating, with extremely low running costs purchasing trace heating from Cross Electrical can bring investment benefits for many years to come and do not require drainage of your water systems or interrupt your current electrical supplies.  Find out more about our trace heating solutions here.

Insurance

Having the right type of holiday home insurance to cover every eventuality is key to protecting your holiday home.  By predicting and implementing such cover you will ensure that your property is not rendered worthless following any misfortunes.

To find out more about our hot water pipe work, temperature maintenance products and trace heating solutions contact Cross Electrical today.