How to Keep Your Warehouse Warm in the Winter
A poorly designed warehouse can be a tough place, sweltering in the summer and frigid in the winter. However, even the best warehouses are challenging to keep at an equilibrium due to their sheer size. After all, tall ceilings are not conducive to efficient and consistent heating. However, there are several things you can do to keep warm even when the outdoors are freezing.
Improve Airflow
Believe it or not, the scale and quality of your airflow have a huge effect on your ability to keep your warehouse warm. Warm air needs to move around the warehouse. If there isn’t enough airflow, then any amount of hot air that you produce will simply stay in one place.
Invest in fans that can circulate air and you’ll see a measurable change in the heating and cooling ability of your warehouse. Even better, think about installing “air curtains,” which trigger a “wall” of warm air anytime someone enters or exits the building and minimizes the amount of cold outside air that can enter.
Ensure Your Doors are Closed (if Possible)
This might seem obvious to many but ensure that your warehouse doors are closed when they’re not in use. Sometimes it might feel like they always need to be open for the sake of efficiency. However, it might be time to really ask yourself if that’s true. Closing your doors even for 15 minutes between deliveries can go a long way toward keeping things warm.
If your doors don’t close properly, then it’s time to get them fixed. Improperly functioning warehouse doors aren’t just bad for cold weather, they are neither safe nor secure.
Use Better Space Heaters
Not all space heaters are created equal. Today, we think the best space heaters are the oil-filled, radiant heat variety. Think of them just as you would an old-fashioned radiator. They are slow but reliable, and once they get up to temperature, they do a great job of keeping it. Radiant heaters placed in strategic areas, such as near any natural or artificial drafts (doors and fans) can go a long way.
Service Your HVAC
Sometimes, it’s simply time to revamp your HVAC system. Your furnace and/or air handling unit might just be at the end of its life, or in need of a repair to function properly. If it’s time for a replacement, then ensure you invest in a system that is rated for your space. An HVAC system that is either too small or too large for a space can affect efficiency.
Train Your Employees on Winter Safety
Most of all, train your employees on how to practice sufficient winter safety. This means dressing appropriately, taking breaks at the right time, and other tactics for remaining rested and warm. We provide employee training on many different subjects and can certainly help you with warehouse winter safety.