Heating problems for grocery stores

Grocery stores and food markets operate in a difficult heating environment.
That means maintaining a comfortable temperature for customers and employees without overheating refrigerators, freezers and food.
It’s a battle of hot and cold.

The most problematic and critical areas are the cash registers, the rows between refrigerators, the entrance, the vestibule and the receiving section in the warehouse.

The following question arises:

How can we achieve the desired comfort in critical areas without impacting food preservation or increasing electricity costs?

Why does convection heating create problematic heating situations in grocery stores?

Warm air tends to rise, while cold air remains at ground level.
Most convection-heated commercial buildings have this problem, but the situation is worse in grocery stores, where floor-mounted refrigerators and freezers increase the volume of cold air at ground level.

The solution: radiant heating

What is radiant heating?

Both convection and radiant heating are used in commercial buildings such as grocery stores. Convection heating heats the air, while radiant heating heats people, floors and objects directly, just as the sun does. Radiant heating is also known as infrared heating(Find out more about infrared heating).

How does infrared heating work?

Infrared heating directly heats the first surface the rays hit, normally the floor and people.
This heating method is effective for buildings with high ceilings and strong draughts, since the heat is retained in the desired locations.
In general, infrared heating reduces heating costs in high-volume buildings.
For grocery stores, radiant heating solves specific heating problems.

Radiant heating in grocery stores

Cash registers

Normally located close to the entrance to the grocery store, employees at the cash registers experience cold draughts in the middle of winter from doors that open repeatedly.
The addition of a radiant auxiliary heater increases employee comfort.

Grocery rows

Rows of groceries between two freezers can quickly become uncomfortable for customers.
The addition of convection heating is not possible, as hot air would become a problem for the freezers.

Freezers, on the other hand, can be used to heat customers directly without fighting the coolness of freezers.

Vestibules

In addition to increasing comfort, radiant heating keeps vestibules dry, clean and safe.

Receiving goods

Similar to the entrance to a grocery store, the door to the goods reception area is often an uncomfortable place for employees in winter.
A simple radiant heater can increase comfort in a cost-effective way.

The radiant heating solution is also favored in large loading bays, as it allows heat to be targeted at the doors in use, and improves energy efficiency.