Abstract

Church buildings are an important part of our cultural heritage and their preservation is critical. Many are in poor condition, and now provide community activities in addition to religious worship. This requires reconsideration of environmental needs, and upgrading of services to provide efficient, comfortable and healthy conditions.

Churches contain many culturally valuable artefacts and materials that are sensitive to the environment, yet have survived for centuries in their natural environment. Most churches in the UK have had heating installed, causing damage as a result of fluctuating conditions during intermittent occupancy.

This study evaluates the optimum environmental needs for comfort and conservation and shows an overlap between these two areas if carefully considered. The performance of three churches has been measured, and the findings show that system selection has a significant impact on energy consumption, efficiency and cost, and that occupancy must be accounted for when considering the most appropriate solutions.