Setting Up A Hot Yoga Studio - 5 Points To Consider

Fully insulate the room

Hot Yoga Design - 5 Points To Consider

 Whether you are looking to build a brand new, purpose built hot yoga studio, or add heating to an existing yoga centre to provide an additional offering to your customers / clients / yogis, there are 5 things to consider:

 Read Original Article Here

 Or Go To Our New Hot Yoga Studio Design Website

Insulation: 

Make sure the building or the room you intend on heating will be very well insulated. Making a good investment into double glazed windows, and adding additional insulating fibre to the ceiling and the walls will 1) keep the heat in the room once the infra red heaters have done their job in bringing the ambient temperature up to 30-42 C, and 2) you will save money in the long run.

Heat Recovery: 

A heat recovery system works by simply adding a small percentage of fresh air to the room through duct work. The heat recovery unit will retain up to 80% of the heat of the room, while at the same time introducing fresh air into the room, and exhausting stale air. Traditionally, you would have used a ventilation system that wouldn't have heated the airbut instead just brought in fresh air, however, you would have lost all of that valuable heat during extraction, and on a cold day you would have to reheat the air that enters through the inlet.

 

Within the heat recovery unit, there is a wheel that turns very slowly. The hot air that is in the room is piped (ducted) to the wheel, and the wheel captures the hot air. As the wheel turns, the hot air is moved over to the pipework where the fresh air is entering the inlet duct. The mix of fresh air and the heated air is pulled into the room giving the room warm and fresh air at the same time, so you only really lose a very small percentage of the air you have spent money on heating. The heat recovery system is refrigerant free, very economical and will help keep the room fresh and will reduce the amount of money you will have to spend on reheating the room.

Heating: We recommend using infra red heating panels for the heating of the studio for these main reasons -

Infra red waves are the same type of waves that are emitted from the sun, which means the warmth you experience is natural and comfortable

FRICO EZ200 - Hot Yoga Heater

1. They are easy to install - no pipework, no moving parts, they come with brackets
2. They are easy to control - one thermostat rigged up to one circuit
3. You can move them if you want to change the design of the room
4. They blend in with the design of the room - they are designed to be discreet
5. The heat is instant - you can feel the infra red heat when you stand directly under the heater
6. There energy efficient and green - no harmful gases or emissions, perfectly safe
7. The infra red waves emitted from the heaters will be absorbed by the surfaces and the people within the room. It has been stated that the human body can absorb 98% of the infra red waves that are emitted from the heaters, meaning you can literally feel the heat from within and the heat will not go to waste.

In addition to using the infra red heaters, we also recommend using a high quality industrial fan heater to increase the ambient air temperature so that when people are walking in and out of the room, the air that has been heated can be maintained at the optimal temperature. The fan heater can be wall mounted or portable making it easy for you to control the temperature as the class is in full swing.







 The yogis will experience an all round feeling of wellbeing as their body warms under the infra red waves. The muscles will warm up and feel more supple allowing the client to move into deeper stretches earlier in the class. For those wishing to take their yoga practice further, performing yoga moves under the influence of infra heat can be very beneficial. Likewise for those just starting out, hot yoga can be a great introduction to the practice and may prove to reduce the chance of injury due to the muscles being warmer and more pliable at the beginning of the class.

Humidity: 

As the colder months get closer, it will be important to monitor the level of rH (relative humidity) in the room. In a nutshell, for humans the comfort level of rH is 40-60%. In countries where there is a lot of rainfall (like good old Blighty) there is less need to add humidity to achieve the above levels of rH. However, when the winter does strike and there is little rainfall, the rH of the air can drop to below 40% - without the humidity in the air, it can mean your clients may feel the dryness in their airways and complain of breathing problems.

Steam Humidifier

They may also complain of not sweating enough, or that it doesn't feel hot enough - the temperature may be high enough, but the added humidity is not there, making it feel cooler than it actually is. So, to combat this problem, simply add a steam humidifier that is capable of bringing the humidity back up to around 50% on the coldest and driest day of the year. In addition to the health benefits of using a humidifier for the room, it will also get people sweating sooner. The added humidity to the room means the sweat will not evaporate as quickly off the skin, and the body will be working even harder to push the sweat out from the limbs, through the skin.

The Room: 

The best and most effective type of room to use would be a room with no external walls, in order to keep the heat in. However, this would a be rare find, so we need to have a look at the shape of the room itself to maximise the performance of the hot yoga studio. Ideally, the room will be shaped like a box, have a ceiling height of betweem 2.1 and 3 metres with a hard floor to reflect the infra red waves from the heating panels. Any nooks and crannys should be covered up, sealed and boxed in if possible to allow for the heat to travel through the room, and heat all of the surfaces. Having windows can affect heat loss, unless they are triple glazed.

Sunrise Yoga - Ideal Room

Finding a suitable room to use for hot yoga can be difficult. The most important things to consider are the following:

1. Three Phase power supply is available
2. A D2 Planning Licence is in place
3. The Landlord has agreed to using it as a hot yoga studio

There are many calculations that are involved in specifying the type of heat recovery, heating and humidification needed for a successful installation. We have experience in providing tailored packages for hot yoga operators, so feel free to get in touch for a professional and accurate quotation.



Or, read this blog post outlining The House of Yoga and their new project: Read article

A few of our customers:

 

Heat Recovery Systems

As building efficiency is improved with insulation and weather stripping, buildings are intentionally made more airtight, and consequently less well ventilated.

While opening a window does provide ventilation, the building's heat and humidity will be lost in the winter and gained in the summer, both of which are undesirable for the indoor climate and for energy efficiency.

Due to all buildings requiring a source of fresh air the need for a Heat Recovery System has become obvious and whether it be for a hot yoga studio, office or even for domestic use Euro Controls UK Ltd are now able to offer a solution.

Please visit our website or feel free to contact us on the above number for further information.

Problems Heating Your Offices??

Infrared Heating Could Be The Solution!! 

 

Cold working environments
Open-plan office environments are mixed with closed offices and make it difficult to achieve well functioning ventilation, which affects heating. By using Infrared Heaters you are able to heat individual stations and desks in an office environment and in a reception it is possible to create different temperatures in different zones, despite the room temperature being the same throughout the entire premises.

Chill factor from windows
Chill factor is a phenomenon that occurs near most windows. In most buildings the chill factor is relieved using a convector placed under the window. Today, it is becoming more popular to fit windows all the way down to the floor and the convectors must be recessed in the floor to protrude up into the window.
Using a Thermoplus Infrared Heater located on the wall above the windows can make a big difference to the experienced temperature. A smart control system means that the Infrared Heater can be controlled so that it switches on as necessary.

Total heating
Office environments are places where many people need a pleasant working environment. Work is stationary, which places great demands on an even and comfortable indoor temperature meaning creating energy efficient heating becomes even more important.
Today there are good solutions for overall heating using Infrared Heaters. Installing Infrared Heating Cassettes in a suspended ceiling gives almost invisible heating. As Infrared does not have any moving parts it's silent and there's no air movement. The Cassettes can also be easily moved around the suspended ceiling if the premises are redesigned.

Expensive to keep warm all day
Premises used as offices are usually only populated at certain times during the day and not every day of the week. Having the heating on all day and all year can be expensive.
By installing Infrared Heaters and a programmable heating control different temperatures in different zones can be maintained. For example, areas where stationary work is not carried out can maintain a lower temperature, whilst a slightly higher temperature can be maintained in the office environment. A programmable control can also reduce the temperature during the nights, weekends and holidays.

Draught at the entrance
When an unprotected door is opened, cold air flows in at floor level and hot air flows out through the upper section of the door. Before cold air is heated, staff are exposed to drafts and low temperatures.
By installing an Air Curtain inside the entry the indoor climate can be significantly improved. Air curtains must always be equipped with heating if there are staff who work close to the entry so by combining an air curtain with Infrared Heaters you can create a pleasant working and welcoming environment.

Hot Yoga – Why Heat & Humidity?

Heat and humidity allows the body to warm up properly. This in turn reduces the risk of injury and allows you to work more deeply.

If you take into consideration that Hot Yoga originated in India, where they have a much hotter and humid climate, it makes sense that we should prepare our bodies with heat and humidity before stretching.

By combining Heat and Humidity in Hot Yoga studios the following benefits can be gained;

·         Muscles and connective tissues become elastic allowing for greater flexibility with less chance of injury;

·         Encourages sweating which assists the detoxification process;

·         Blood becomes thinner which clears the circulatory system;

·         Helps to multiply T cells which fight infection and in turn keep your immune system functioning properly;

·         Helps to increase your heart rate which improves your cardiovascular system;

·         Burns fat more effectively;

·         Helps you to think clearer;

·         Improves strength because proteins can be utilized more effectively;

·         Speeds up the breakdown of glucose and fatty acids;

·         Provides strengthening of willpower, self control and determination.

As you can see, there are many benefits when heat and humidity are introduced into your workout, so why not contact us today for information on our Infrared Heating Panels and Humidifiers.

CAREL COMPACTSTEAM HUMIDIFIER

Hot Yoga Studio Design: The Fitness Space

The Fitness Space in Ascot have a brand new hot yoga studio installed thanks to our engineers at Euro Controls UK Ltd.

Read the full article here:  http://www.humidifiers-uk.com/page/hot_yoga:_the_fitness_space

Infra Red Hot Yoga: Air Temperature vs How You Feel

Thinking Of Using Infra Red Heating For Hot Yoga?

I guess this is a gentle reminder to those using infra red heating, or thinking of using infra red heating for their yoga studio - there is an important point to make about how we use the desired air temperature of the room to determine how much power is needed from the panel heaters.

Heats Like The Sun

The type of heat emitted from the heaters is the same as the type of heat we experience from standing in the sun on a hot day.  Yes, the air temperature has increased because of the infra red waves from the sun, but that is due to the sun heating the earth's surface, the buildings, the trees and anything else in the way of the infra red waves.  This is the way that infra red heating panels work - they simply heat like the sun.

Standing on the mountain

Picture: Beliefnet.com

We have to use a standard air room thermostat to turn the heating on in the room, and to give the heaters a target to aim for - however, what you experience on your skin from the infra red heaters and what the room temperature is, will be different.  It goes back to the example of how radiant heating works in the winter months - stand on a mountain side (if you are in a fortunate enough position to do so!), where temperatures are in the minus but with a clear blue sky, and you will feel heat from the sun even though the air is cold - this is how radiant heating works - it is the direct heat transfer from one object to another and not how high the air temperature of the room is.  So, we use a room thermostat to turn the heaters on to maximum power and then use the thermostat to turn them off when the air temperature of say 40⁰C is reached - and, if you practice long enough in a room where you have X number of heaters pumping out non harmful infra red waves you will experience the heat, that's for sure.


If you need people to feel warmth as soon as they walk in to the room, simply use a fan heater (see pic), booster heater or fan coil to warm the air up.

FRICO Fan Heater - Perfect For Pre  Heating

The fan heater can be plugged in to the mains power supply in between classes to raise the temperature of the air to a level that will feel very warm upon entering, all the while the infra red heaters will get to work heating the surfaces and eventually the yogis as they begin their practice.

The fan heaters we supply are manufactured to an industrial standard by  FRICO, Sweden (and they sure know a lot about chilly climates!

Hope that helps!

If you would any more information on how we go about selecting the right number of heaters, give us a call - we look at the following:

• Maximum number of people in the room
• The maximum air temperature required
• Size of the room
• The mounting height of the heaters
• Humidity control
• Ventilation

Interview with Phil Alcock, FRICO MD - Infra Red Heating

In the last blog entry - Phil and I were discussing using infra heating as a total house / office heating system, and comparing radiant heating with gas central heating, and ground source heat pumps.  In this article we will look at the various applications for infra red heating, the difference between infra red and radiant heating, and energy savings.....

So how long will an infra red heating system last?

The shelf life of the system once installed will be the life of the building and we certainly know that other electrical appliances are still going strong even after 20 years of running quite happily and they run at much higher stress loads (take your dishwasher/washing machine).

Commercial environments differ somewhat in that there are things to consider like damp and corrosion, so a commercial system might last 15 years but it is in a much harsher environment

We supplied one of the major zoo’s lions dens, what sort of other interesting projects have you seen?

We have done a number of projects for zoos and their reaction to radiant heating is exactly the same as humans.  Because radiant heating is the natural form of heat - we always say it is like heat from the sun - most animals that live on the planets are designed to keep warm and comfortable with radiant heat, so as well as heating animals from the Savannah like lions, we’ve heated snake and reptile enclosures, and  we’ve heated alligators enclosures where the animals and reptiles bask in the radiant heat environment. 

It is very effective.  And, another advantage with using a radiant heating system in a zoo is they don’t emit visible light so the animals stay warm but they don’t get the impression that it is daylight 24 hours a day!

We’ve spoken about using the heating system in sports halls, yoga studios, modern gyms – with regard to sports halls we recently made a large installation in France in a judo stadium with a very high roof, and the challenge with judo and indeed hot yoga is that at floor level the mats need to be warm, and to an extent need to be kept dry – although I’m not sure in judo whether that is meant to be dry from sweat or blood but it is certainly needed to be kept dry, and the infrared heating (as well as keeping the occupants warm) keeps the surfaces warm – so  if you have a yoga studio, you not only keep the participants warm but their exercise mats are comfortable as well.

We put infrared heating systems in halls as the classic problem there is that the village hall is used in the evenings and a just few nights a week and the rest of the time it is off.  The yoga instructor comes in to find the building stone cold, switches an infrared heating system on and within a few minutes the heaters are up to their full temperature emitting heat, you can put your exercise mats down and immediately feel warm, so we do a lot of those sorts of applications because they are away from conventional sources of heat and are only used periodically. 

We also use a lot of radiant heating for outdoor heating smoking areas for restaurants and public seating areas where they wants to maximise the use of the drinking or eating area. Process and industry favour infrared heating for example in warming plastics as they travel along the production line.  We did some work with one of the major car manufacturers where they manufacture components, and if the factory is cold, making the plastic panels fit in to their surroundings gets very hard and can become brittle - they need a heating system to keep the plastic a little bit soft and pliable.  I could go on and on, but there are many many applications for infrared heating.

You mentioned radiant and infrared - what is the difference between these two terms?

It is the same thing - a lot of the terminology being used is referring to radiant heat, infrared heat, you’ll see FAR infrared, particular an American terminology yet the heating is always infrared heat – the basic physics are that any ‘body’ be it human or any other hot surface – as soon as it gets hot, will start to emit infrared energy, which is the energy that we use.  It is an electromagnetic wave that is part of the lighting spectrum, but it is at a very low level so you can’t see it when the ‘body’ gets hot. As an example, when a hot cup of coffee gets hot it will start to emit infrared energy, but we don’t see it necessarily.

So we’re emitting energy all the time?

Yes and most people are familiar with that, as most people will have seen infrared cameras – like the thermal imaging cameras police use on the police stop programs, this is showing the thermal signature of the human body, it picks up the spectrum of light from the body. Humans can’t see it, but some animals can and use it to hunt, but we can’t see it – but that is all we really need to know.

From a technical standpoint, on the infrared spectrum we can move from long wave infrared which produces heat energy but no light, and as we increase the surface temperature of that heat emitter we get to a point where it can be seen as visible light by the human eye - that comes at about 700⁰C and when an object gets to that temperature it begins to glow. We can see it glow from the heaters that we see outside the pubs and bars – essentially it is all infrared heat and all radiant heat so the two terminologies are interchangeable. 

Thank you for clearing that up.  Building consultants are looking to make savings – have you any reassurance you can give them?

Most building consultants and people who design buildings are certainly familiar with the concept of radiant heating and it’s nothing new.  It’s something that has been around for a very long time.  What is changing is the number of applications and the number of products that we can use, which have improved a great deal. 

Control systems have improved a lot and building standards have improved a lot as well – making very well insulated properties.

The reassurance that we can offer energy consultants is to point to case studies and calculations - it is very easy to use the FRICO Heat Output Calculation Tool that we have on our website to work out the heat loss of the building.  It is very easy to put the details through online tool and one of the parameters you change when doing the calculation is from infrared heating or convection heating.

One of the main areas of energy saving is that you have very little high heat build up with infrared heating.  What this means is that with a convection system the warm air rises, and all of that hot air at the top of the building has cost money to heat so when you design for a warm air convection system you have to allow for that discrepancy and to allow for say 21⁰C at person height where you are sitting and 27⁰C at ceiling level.   You would have to pay for that energy and on a calculation simulation we can easily show the difference between the radiant heating and the convection heating.  With the radiant heating there will be less than a 1⁰C difference between the air temperature at floor level compared to ceiling level and that is where is translates in to an energy saving.

More to come on infra red heating.....

How To Heat The Flagship Apple Store

Large Apple Greenhouse - New York

I expect the guys at Apple real estate have the heating system pretty well wrapped up, but a building of this type will come with plenty of heating, cooling and ventilation issues, if not properly managed.

For one, we had a green house in the back garden that looked a little like this (well OK,it wasn't quite as big, and we obviously weren't growing apples inside) and it was south facing....so in the morning, on a damp spring day you could see the condensation building up on the windows, slowly turning into thin streams of water, trickling down the window pains and onto to shelving.

OK, so who's really that interested in my parent's greenhouse?  - just to prove a point though, buildings with so much glass and exposure to sunlight will suffer from the above without a well planned out heating and ventilation system.

Underfloor heating that is programmed to switch on a couple of hours before anyone sets foot in the building, and certainly before sunrise will help to alleviate the damp conditions and should eradicate all condensation on the glass surfaces once the glass has begun to absorb the infra red electromagnetic waves.

Once the doors fling open for the mad frenzy of Apple Enthusiasts - condensation will be no more.