Halo Case Study: St Michael’s Church, UK

Discover how this 800 year old, Grade I listed medieval church achieved comfortable, effective warmth by installing Herschel Infrared’s Halo heating system.

“Our experience has been absolutely top-rate, and I would thoroughly recommend it because it just does the job – it does what it says on the tin.”

Following the boiler failure, a repair proved impossible. Replacing it with a like-for-like boiler was ruled out under the Church of England’s 2030 net zero carbon target which includes decarbonisation of heating as one of the measures to reduce carbons.

A church member researched electric heating options that were available on the market and, after evaluation, they decided to proceed with the Herschel Halo system with PCC (Parochial Church Council) approval.

St Michael’s began discussions with both their Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC), explaining the options they had explored, and also Herschel’s heritage team. Chris highlights that the process of gaining final approval was relatively simple:

“That preliminary investigation made it a lot simpler for us to get final approval…..We were keen to get new heating in as soon as possible, we didn’t want to go for too many winters without heating. As it turned out, we just had one winter without a proper heating system, which I think was pretty good”.

Performance

The new system was installed in spring 2024, with three Halo infrared chandeliers positioned along the nave and one Halo in the side aisle. The layout was developed collaboratively to ensure full coverage for the main body of the church:

“Looking carefully at the heat distribution… meant there weren’t any significant cold spots, which is obviously important.”

By late 2025, St Michael’s had experienced one full winter using the Herschel system and the verdict is hugely positive.

“It has worked very well. It gives the type of heating we were expecting and promised from Herschel… People don’t know where the heat is coming from, which is what you want.”

Because infrared heats people and surfaces directly, not the air, the church now warms up quickly, with both congregation and visiting churches impressed:

“Turning on the heating typically twenty minutes or so before the start of the service… is adequate. By the time the service starts, the place is comfortably warm.”

“The reaction to the system is almost universally very, very favourable.”

The elegant chandelier-style Halos installed within St Michael’s have been finished in bronze, decorated with the beautiful Trinity Clover design and ornate grill. Integrated, dimmable LED lights provide the dual function of energy-efficient lighting alongside the infrared heating.

“When people come in… the general reaction is, ‘Wow, they look really great.’ They look as if they were designed for the building. They’re absolutely perfect in situation”.

Control

Chris outlines that the intuitive and simple controls for operation of the Halos is a great benefit.

“One thing that has worked very well for us is the simplicity of the controls… You can explain to anyone how to turn it on and off.”

The built-in timer prevents wasted energy or accidental all week heating:

“Invaluable… I once found a church which had been heated all week because they’d completely forgotten to turn it off.”

A warm, welcoming church

St Michael’s has achieved DAC approved heating that delivers comfortable warmth for visitors, with a fast warm-up time, whilst complementing the 800 year old historic interior. Additional heaters are now being considered for the chancel and side chapels, where Halos are not suitable for structural or aesthetic reasons.

“Our experience has been absolutely top-rate, and I would thoroughly recommend it because it just does the job – it does what it says on the tin.”