You have secured the unit. The lease is signed or the build is underway. Then comes the question that catches more people off guard than it should: is this building connected to the gas grid?

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Increasingly in the UK, the answer is no. New industrial and commercial developments are being built without a gas connection as standard. For developers it simplifies the infrastructure. For planners it aligns with net zero targets. For the businesses moving in, it raises an immediate practical question: how do you heat a large industrial space reliably and cost-effectively without gas?

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The answer is well established and the products exist. With the right system design, an off-gas industrial building can be just as warm, just as efficiently run and significantly lower in carbon than its gas-fired equivalent.

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Why New Industrial Buildings Are Increasingly Off Gas Grid

 

Planning policy across the UK increasingly requires new commercial developments to demonstrate low-carbon credentials from the outset. Many local planning authorities now require new non-domestic buildings to achieve a significant reduction in regulated carbon emissions compared to the Building Regulations Part L baseline. A building with no gas connection is structurally better placed to meet those targets.

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For developers of multi-unit industrial estates, removing gas infrastructure also reduces upfront cost and complexity. There is no need for gas main connections, meter installations or the associated groundworks. The build is simpler and the resulting building is easier to position as future-ready.

The result is that a growing number of tenants arriving at a new industrial unit find that gas simply is not available and they need to specify an alternative from day one.

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The Main Approaches to Off-Gas Industrial Heating

 

When gas is not an option, industrial heating broadly falls into three categories: LPHW systems driven by a heat pump or electric boiler, electric warm air unit heaters and electric radiant heating. In many buildings two or more of these are used together, each doing the job it does best.

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LPHW Heating

 

LPHW (Low Pressure Hot Water) heating is the most common choice for larger off-gas industrial spaces. A heat pump or electric boiler generates hot water which is distributed around the building and delivered as warm air through ceiling-mounted unit heaters.

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Where a heat pump is used, the efficiency gains are significant. For every unit of electricity consumed, a modern air-source heat pump typically delivers two to four units of heat. That ratio is what makes LPHW viable at scale in a large warehouse or factory. Where the capital outlay of a heat pump is not justified, an electric boiler can generate the hot water circuit instead, making LPHW accessible for smaller buildings too.

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The Apen AX LPHW unit heater is designed specifically for industrial and commercial spaces. It connects directly to the building's LPHW circuit and delivers high-volume warm air heating across a wide range of output capacities, suiting everything from a single trade unit to a large distribution shed. For buildings with multiple zones or mezzanine levels, the Apen AX can be deployed in multiples with zone control to direct heat where people are actually working.

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• Heat pump compatible: Works with air-source heat pumps for maximum efficiency and low carbon operation

• Wide output range: Suitable for single trade units through to large distribution sheds

• Zone control: Multiple units can be zoned to direct heat where it is needed

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The Reventon S-3S Series is a robust alternative where a different form factor is needed, delivering reliable LPHW-driven warm air heating in an industrial-grade powder-coated galvanised steel casing.

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Electric Warm Air Heating

 

For industrial units, workshops and ancillary spaces where a full LPHW circuit is not wanted, electric warm air unit heaters offer a much simpler and straightforward solution. They deliver the familiar warm air heating experience with no gas connection and no pipework required.

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The Flowair LEO EL is an electric unit heater well suited to this type of application. It heats the space quickly and efficiently and is simple to install, making it a practical choice for buildings where LPHW infrastructure would be disproportionate to the heating requirement.

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• No pipework: Electrical connection only. No hot water circuit required

• Simple installation: Ceiling-mounted with straightforward electrical connection

• Practical for smaller spaces: Ideal where a full LPHW circuit would be disproportionate

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Electric Radiant Heating

 

Electric radiant heating works differently from warm air systems. Rather than heating the air, radiant heaters emit infrared radiation that warms surfaces and people directly, in the same way sunlight warms you on a cold day. This makes them particularly well suited to spaces with frequent door openings, high ceilings where warm air stratifies or partially open areas where heating the air is largely ineffective.

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The Apollo electric quartz radiant heater is a versatile ceiling-mounted unit suitable for warehouses and workshops, robust and fast-responding with a range of output options.

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The Sorrento and Sorrento Ceramic offer alternative formats for applications where a lower glare or zero-glare heat profile is needed, including public-facing areas and heritage buildings.​​

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Air Curtains: Protecting What You Have Paid to Heat

 

Every time a loading door opens, heated air escapes and cold air floods in. In an all-electric building where every kilowatt has a direct running cost, this is not a minor inconvenience. It is a significant and ongoing source of energy waste.

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Air curtains solve this by creating a barrier of high-velocity air across the door opening, preventing the exchange of interior and exterior air without obstructing vehicle or pedestrian movement.

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In an off-gas building, air curtains on all loading doors should be standard specification rather than an afterthought. The reduction in heating demand and the improvement in working conditions at the door threshold justify the investment quickly.

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Destratification: An Essential Part of Any Warm Air System

 

Destratification fans are not optional in a warm air heated industrial building. Without them, warm air rises and pools at ceiling level while the occupied zone at floor level stays cold. The heating system works harder and runs longer to compensate, driving up energy consumption without improving comfort where it matters.​

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For large distribution facilities, the Evel WZ HVLS fan moves high volumes of air across a wide area with a single low-energy unit. Whichever warm air heating system you specify, destratification should be designed in from the outset. It is not an add-on. It is part of what makes the system perform as intended.

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Summer Cooling

 

Heating is the primary challenge in most UK industrial buildings but summer cooling cannot be ignored, particularly in buildings with significant process heat, large glazed sections or high occupancy.

For off-gas buildings that have invested in an all-electric approach, traditional refrigerant-based air conditioning adds significant capital and running cost. Evaporative cooling is a compelling alternative for large industrial spaces.

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The ColdAir draws in outside air, passes it through water-saturated pads and delivers cool fresh air into the space. It uses a fraction of the electricity of conventional air conditioning and requires no refrigerants. In the UK climate, where summer temperatures rarely reach the extremes that limit evaporative cooling's effectiveness, it is a practical and cost-efficient solution.

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Where to Start

 

The right combination of products depends on your building's size and height, the work carried out within it, the number and type of openings and your operational pattern. There is no single correct answer but there is a logical process: establish the heat loss, choose the primary heating technology, layer in the efficiency measures and consider summer comfort.

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Contact Hadar Industries today for a free site survey. We will assess your building, calculate the heat requirement and recommend the right combination of products with no obligation.