How to keep warm in winter - The perfect home heating products

Christmas may be over, but the cold winter days are still to come, in this blog we will be explaining what are the best heating applications you can have in your house, to keep yourself warm

If you didn’t know already but heat is a fantastic way to relax muscles, stimulate circulation and to take away any stiffness.

The perfect home heating products:

Heated blankets - We all like to keep warm and feel snug, with a heated blanket you can warm and be cosy

Heated Pillow - You can clutch onto a smelly hot water bottle that'll be cold in less than an hour, provide consistent and continuous warmth throughout the night.

Heated Matt – these are perfect for indoors or outdoors during the winter months, for indoor use you can keep this mat as a heated welcome mat or leave it next to your bed when you get up in the morning.
You can also use other heated mats for your walkway up to your house, keeping your driveway clean as the heat will melt the snow so you will always have a clear path to and from your home.

Underfloor heating – heating is the best heating option for your house or business as it does not only save energy but it is known that it also improves the quality of air.

With these applications you can watch your favorite television program without having to listen to the noise of your fan heater or spending more money by turning your central heating up, just use one of these applications to keep warm.

Melting solutions for Snow and Ice in the Winter months!

It’s that time of year again! December is upon up and winter have well and truly reared its icy head. As we enter these cold months, ice, snow and freezing all become issues that we are faced with. We all look forward to a white Christmas, but sometimes problems can arise from a winter wonderland.

Once the holidays are over and the work force returns, it’s often when the real cold sets in. Snow and ice can be dangerous for those on the pavement as well as those in vehicles on the road.

At Cross Electrical we have a range of snow and ice melting solutions that can help keep your property and business safe for users.

Winter danger areas include roads, driveways, ramps, helipads and pedestrian zones. These can all are kept free from snow and ice with Cross Electrical. There is less traffic congestion and there are fewer accidents on icy winter roads.

Using a Cross outdoor surface heating/cooling system saves costs, reduces the amount of personnel required for clearing snow and minimises personal injury and damage to property significantly in adverse weather conditions. In addition to this, the system is energy efficient, as all systems have ‘bespoke’ temperature control panels incorporating electronic controllers with remote sensors mounted in the surface of the outdoor area providing maximum energy savings.

Stations or other services that are outside which see a lot of footfall would benefit from underground heating as additional costs for the operator for on-call duty such as clearing snow and cleaning up is difficult to plan ahead of time. At the same time, the costs for cleaning the carriages and maybe escalators which exist due to the contamination caused by grit and salt are reduced.

Should the heating cables be directly under asphalt, embedded in concrete or integrated into stairways or steps our products provide longevity of service for any application. To find out more about our Cross snow melting system don’t hesitate to contact us with your questions.

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

Don’t get left in the cold

Okay, so it may not be time to pop the heating on yet and you can still get away with leaving your coat at home, but believe it or not, now is the time to start prepping your property for the winter!

In the next couple of month the weather will be turning dramatically colder, (depressing, we know). We are currently installing Trace heating and pipe protection for a variety of uses throughout the UK including preventing burst pipes. The majority of failing pipes in this country are caused by pipes bursting when frozen. We have a range of easy to install pipe protection for small domestic applications or larger commercial purposes!

We know it may not be at the top of your list of priorities at the moment, but now is the time to sort out these issues!

Here at cross we have pipe protection is for a number of applications including –

• Boiler condensate pipes

• Outdoor water supplies

• Water and waste pipes

• Irrigation systems

• Sprinkler systems

• Farm and animal water supplies

For larger domestic or commercial pipe protection requirements we supply the very best in trace heating. Trace heating cables provide focused and controllable heat to prevent pipes and gutters from freezing. Trace heating cables 'self regulate' their temperature so they cannot overheat. What’s more is that they can also be cut to length during installation to ensure the perfect fit!

There are many benefits of trace heating, which you can find in our blog post here. Here at Cross Electrical Ltd we design, manufacture, install and supply a complete range of heating cables suitable for every Trace heating application. Give us a call on – to find out more about how you can start preparing your home or commercial property for the cold months now! 

What are Longline Trace Heating Cables?

What are Longline Trace Heating Cables used for?

Longline trace heating cables are used when circuit lengths exceed the ratings of conventional parallel-resistance heat trace cables and you need a single power source. Industrial longline trace heating is necessary to heat long pipelines for -

• Transfer lines between processing plants.
• Condensation prevention.
• Temperature maintenance.
• Viscosity control.
• For pipe freeze protection.
• Between storage or transportation facilities

The intricacy of this pipe heat trace system comes from the need for long electrical circuit lengths, usually with a single electrical power point.

Ideal applications for longline trace heating systems might include -

• Pipes between petrochemical facilities 
• Piers for ocean transport vessels
• Freeze protection or temperature maintenance of tank farms
• Condensation and coagulation prevention on filters, etc…

Why is longline trace heating important? Well without it, the following problems could occur -

• Liquids freezing resulting in disastrous pipe failures.
• Liquids becoming too viscous.
• Gases condensing.

Here at Cross Electrical Ltd we design, manufacture, install and supply a complete range of heating cables suitable for every Trace heating application. We offer a wide range of industry-proven longline trace heating solutions as a complete heat management system. This includes the selection of suitable pipe heat trace technologies, highly developed control system technologies, in addition to engineering design services and site services!

 Some of our longline length heating cables include:

XSWE Single Wire Heating Cable

Teflon PFA insulated heating cable for maintaining temperatures up to 120°C, medium to long length heating circuits. Maximum withstand temperature of 230°C (power off).  Approved for use in hazardous areas.

XCN Mineral Insulated Cupro Nickel Sheathed Single Conductor Heating Cable

For maintaining temperatures up to 250°C medium to long heating circuits, maximum withstand temperature 400° (power off), approved for use in hazardous areas.

XINC Mineral Insulated Inconel Sheathed Single Conductor Heating Cable

For temperatures up to 600°C, highly corrosion resistant for medium to long length heating circuits, maximum withstand temperature 1000°C (power off) approved for use in hazardous areas.

XSS Mineral Insulated Stainless Steel Sheathed Single Conductor Heating Cable

For maintaining temperature up to 500°C medium to long length heating circuits, maximum withstand temperature 1000°C (power off), approved for use in hazardous areas.

Our general applications include –

• Heating Pipelines, tanks & vessels,
• Frost Protection for water pipes,
• Condensation prevention within hoppers and process equipment,
• Snow and ice prevention for roads, ramps and stairs,
• Underfloor heating,
• Emergency Maintenance Services,
• Annual Test and Survey Contracts.

For more details on these applications please see out website! Simply click here

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.