Infrared Heaters bring warmth to the café seating and courtside waiting areas at a new indoor padel club in Dunstable.
With three indoor courts and dedicated spaces for relaxing between games, this Dunstable padel club has been designed around both sport and socialising.
The clubs owners made space for a generous reception, coffee bar and seating area, recognising that the experience extends beyond time on court. Heating these spaces was an important part of creating a welcoming environment for members waiting to play or enjoying a drink after their game.
The club needed heating suited to a large, open indoor sports venue, with particular attention to people spending time off court.
Players generate warmth during a match, but their needs change when they stop to rest, watch others or wait for their next game. The café and courtside seating areas therefore required a solution that could provide warmth quickly.
The owners had already tried other approaches. They reported that air conditioning units had proved ineffective for their needs, while air blowers created an uncomfortably dry feeling.
These experiences led the team to look for a different way to keep members comfortable in the areas where they were less active.
The club selected seven Shadow 3kW Horizontal Industrial Infrared Heaters, positioned across two key areas:
This positioning focuses warmth on the clubs social and waiting spaces, reflecting how members use the facility.
The club team reported feeling warmth straight away from the infrared heaters, making them a practical choice for people arriving from the courts or sitting between matches.
The heaters were mounted above the seating and waiting areas, keeping floor space clear for members, furniture and movement around the club.
Appearance also mattered. The owners wanted a premium club atmosphere, with a comfortable social space that felt like an integral part of the venue. During the facility walkthrough, the team described the selected heaters as unobtrusive and well integrated with the interior and lighting.
Their positioning brings heating into the areas where it is needed while supporting the clubs overall layout and design.
The clubs feedback highlights the immediate warmth provided by the Shadow heaters and a preference for infrared following its experience with air conditioning and blow heaters.
The installation supports two important parts of the member experience: relaxing in the café and waiting comfortably beside the courts. It also reflects the owners wider ambition to create a venue where people want to spend time together before and after a game.
With seven strategically positioned heaters, the club has introduced targeted warmth into the spaces that support its social atmosphere.
Most companies today want to reduce or eliminate their net contribution to greenhouse gasses - but it can be hard to know where to begin.
What will have the most impact? One focus area for many organisations is their energy use and heating.
Gas-based systems are falling out of favour as they generate significant carbon emissions. Instead, many are turning to electric infrared heating as this offers the potential for zero emissions at the point of use if renewable energy is used to power them.
Infrared is a popular choice as it offers very high-efficiency ratings - up to 98% of energy is converted into heat. Additionally, heat isn't wasted as it can be focused on the areas that need it the most.
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