How To Heat A Sports Hall?
Heating a sports hall isn’t quite as simple as turning up the thermostat.
With large open spaces, high ceilings, and fluctuating occupancy, getting the temperature just right without breaking the bank can be a balancing act.
What Temperature is Best for Exercise?
While there are no specific regulations for sports hall/gymnasium temperatures, general guidelines recommend a base temperature of around 16-18°C to ensure comfort levels, and slightly higher temperatures for sports halls/studios where high-intensity exercise classes or yoga take place.
If your sports hall gets used for multiple purposes, such as many different types of exercise, exams and/or school assemblies, it’s important to have a heating system that can adapt.
Whether you manage a school gym, community centre, or commercial sports facility, here’s a practical guide to heating your sports hall efficiently, comfortably, and sustainably.
Understand the Space You're Heating
Before choosing a heating system, take a moment to assess the specific characteristics of your hall:
Large volumes of air take more energy to heat.
Poor insulation = higher heat loss.
How often and when is the space used? Sporadic use might call for different heating solutions than constant use.
Sports halls need good airflow, but it can also suck out the heat if not managed properly.
For example, do you want to heat the whole sports hall or just provide heat to the viewing/spectator areas.
How to Choose the Best Sports Hall Heating System
Warm Air Heating Systems
A key advantage of warm air solutions is that they do not require excessive amounts of energy consumption to heat a large open plan space, and when combined with Destratification systems are considered a great energy efficient form of heating for large, high ceiling spaces.
- Pros: Fast heat-up times, efficient for short bursts of usage, gas and electric fuel types, even distribution of heat, some models have a summer ventilation mode to provide continuous air circulation in the warmer summer months.
- Cons: Can be noisy due to integral fan systems and create some air movement.
Radiant Heating Panels
Radiant heating panels are also called Infrared heaters. These heat people and objects only that are within the throw of the individual heaters as opposed to heating the air space. This makes radiant tubes and infrared ideal for spot heating spectators and viewing areas within a sports hall.
- Pros: Spot heating, energy-efficient, quiet, gas and electric fuel types
- Cons: Heat may feel uneven if poorly placed, resulting in hot and cold spots and more kWs required if the whole sports hall is to be heated.
Underfloor Heating
Underfloor heating provides a consistent, comfortable temperature across the space.
- Pros: Comfortable, invisible, silent.
- Cons: Expensive to install, slow to heat up, less suitable for retrofits.
Heat Pumps (Air Source or Ground Source)
These are eco-friendly systems that extract heat from outside air or the ground.
- Pros: Energy-efficient, can also provide cooling
- Cons: Higher upfront cost, but lower running costs.
5 Tips for Improving Sports Hall Heating
No matter what system you choose, poor insulation will drain your heat and your budget. Make sure to:
- Insulate walls and ceilings if possible.
- Upgrade windows to double-glazing.
- Seal any drafts around doors, vents, and access points and keep doors closed over during the winter months.
Smart thermostats and zoned heating systems allow you to heat different parts of the hall at different times or only when in use. Motion sensors and timers can help avoid heating empty spaces.
Fresh air is crucial in sports environments, but it can work against your heating efforts. Install energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) to maintain airflow without losing too much heat.
Even the best heating system will underperform if not maintained. Clean vents, inspect filters, and schedule annual service checks to keep your system running smoothly.
If you’re upgrading or building new, consider incorporating solar panels or heat pumps. These can reduce carbon footprint and may qualify for green energy incentives.
Conclusion
Heating a sports hall is about more than just comfort, it’s about energy efficiency, safety, and creating a welcoming environment for athletes and spectators alike. Choosing the right system and combining it with smart design and control allows you to keep the chill out without overheating your energy bills.
OKEL has significant experience designing and installing high-efficiency heating solutions for all types of sports venues. Whether you need systems for large sports halls, martial arts studios, gymnastics centres or any other exercise spaces, we can help.
Examples of our work in this sector include Milford Haven Gymnastics Club where we installed an expertly designed warm air and destratification system, Mackintosh Sports Club where we replaced the customers obsolete boiler system with a modern and high efficiency commercial boiler system and FMA Aintree where we provided electric far infrared spot heating in their martial arts studio.
Got a specific setup in mind or a challenge with your current heating system? Contact us in the form below.