Heritage church heating specialists
We produce independent engineering assessments that find the real cause of church heating failure — and set out a practical, grant-supported path to genuine comfort and lower carbon.
The problem with church heating
Most churches are advised to simply replace the old boiler — often with a heat pump. But in a heritage nave with a 9-metre apex, solid masonry walls and an intermittent occupancy pattern, the boiler is rarely the limiting factor. Replacing it without first solving delivery and load will produce a more expensive system that heats no better.
The old boiler is old, inefficient and unreliable. Replace it with something modern — ideally a heat pump — and comfort will follow.
At St Anne's the 58.6 kW boiler had headroom over the design loss at the realistic 16°C comfort target. The source was not the problem. The delivery was.
Low-level convective emitters warm air that stratifies into an unheated roof void. Occupants sit in a cold radiant zone regardless of how hard the boiler works.
Building physics
Low-level radiators and exposed pipework warm air by convection. That air rises directly into the roof void, typically 5+ metres above the window heads. Occupants in the lowest 1.8 m receive little benefit.
Single-glazed stained glass creates a cold radiant surface and a convective downdraught along the wall. Even if air temperature is reasonable, the mean radiant temperature at pew level remains low.
High thermal mass means the building cannot be brought to comfort in a 3-hour pre-heat. Short sessions in an under-heated space are the result — not a controllable strategy.
What we do
Each stage builds on the last. Stage 1 generates the evidence; Stage 2 turns it into a design; AR Heating Services delivers it.
An independent engineering report covering building fabric, heat loss, existing emitter analysis, energy data, occupancy profile and electrical capacity. Sets out a sequenced strategy and provides the evidence base for grant applications.
Following Stage 1, we develop a coordinated concept design: refined heat loss with measured infiltration, emitter schedules, ASHP location review, nave radiant or air-to-air strategy, controls and zoning philosophy, and a capital/carbon comparison.
The Atlas specification is delivered by our installation partner, AR Heating Services Ltd — a company that already understands the building, the constraints and the chosen strategy. Full oversight from survey to commissioning, with conflict of interest formally disclosed at every stage.
How it works
We don't arrive with a preferred solution. The evidence determines the strategy — which means no heat source is chosen until the load and delivery picture are properly understood.
A 20-minute call to understand the building, current heating, grant eligibility and what the PCC needs from an assessment.
Half-day site visit covering geometry, fabric, boiler, emitters, controls, electrical and external plant areas. Utility bills and booking calendar reviewed.
Fully formatted engineering report with photographs, technical figures and a sequenced decarbonisation strategy, typically within four to six weeks of survey.
Detailed design, installation and grant drawdown — carried forward only when the evidence from Stage 1 supports it.
Recent work
St Anne's is a Grade II listed Victorian church with a solid masonry nave, open timber roof to 9.56 m, single-glazed stained glass and an end-of-life atmospheric boiler. The PCC reported poor comfort below 5°C external despite a three-hour pre-heat.
Atlas Engineering completed a Stage 1 Heating Decarbonisation Feasibility Assessment covering building fabric, heat loss, existing system analysis, metered energy data, occupancy profiling and electrical infrastructure.
The central finding was that the existing problem is one of heat delivery mode and position, not heat source capacity. The report set out a sequenced strategy: fabric and load reduction first, then a zoned mixed-technology approach separating the nave from the new low-temperature extension — with the heat source selection deferred until load and delivery are properly quantified.
The PCC received a report they could present to the diocese and grant body with confidence. The assessment was completed within six weeks of the site survey.
Request a sample report →Funding landscape
The Church of England's net zero programme has opened new grant streams in 2026. A Stage 1 feasibility study is often the first requirement for accessing capital funding. We structure our assessments to align with the evidence grant bodies expect.
Atlas Engineering does not provide grant advice. Eligibility should be confirmed with your Diocesan NZC Officer and verified against current grant conditions before commissioning any work. Grant availability is subject to change.
Opened June 2026 to churches across all CofE dioceses. Grants in the £3,000–£10,000 range for eligible decarbonisation work including feasibility assessments.
Preparatory grants to support churches in developing a net zero action plan including heating assessment and concept design. Confirm current availability with your diocese.
£7,500 government grant toward a qualifying air source heat pump. Available to eligible non-domestic buildings. A feasibility assessment helps confirm suitability before application.
Grant funding for church building projects including energy improvements. Stage 1 feasibility evidence typically required as part of any capital application.
About Atlas Engineering
Atlas Engineering was founded to address a specific gap in the heritage church decarbonisation market: the absence of independent, engineering-grade heating feasibility assessments. Most churches are advised by heat pump installers with a commercial interest in the outcome, or by generalist consultants without specific expertise in heritage building physics.
We come from the other direction. Our assessments are produced by a building services engineer with direct hands-on experience of heritage church heating systems — the buildings, the constraints, and the occupancy patterns that make them a fundamentally different engineering problem from a school or an office.
We deliberately take on a limited number of assessments each month to ensure senior engineer involvement in every project. We do not subcontract survey work or report writing.
Our installation partner, AR Heating Services Ltd, carries out installation work arising from Atlas designs. This relationship is formally disclosed in writing in every Atlas engagement letter, and clients are always free to appoint their own contractor at Stage 2.
Get in touch
Bristol-based. Working with churches and Diocese officers across England. All assessments involve senior engineer site attendance — we do not send surveyors.