“Don’t you dare turn on that breaker again!” With that unmistakable warning, our long-serving, though expensive-to-run, forced-air oil furnace was condemned. We had to find a new source of heat. This article tells the story of how Holy Cross Church in Eastport, NL transitioned from oil heating to infrared heat, the challenges we faced, and what we learned along the way.
Heating the church in winter was extremely costly and threatened to permanently put us “in the red.” The furnace had to be started more than 12 hours before a service and consumed about five gallons (25 litres) of oil per hour. As a result, winter use was not practical, and for more than a decade we had worshipped in the church hall during colder months.
To plan for a new heating system, a Maintenance Committee was formed. They set clear criteria for the new system: it should allow the church to be used throughout the year in an environmentally and cost-effective way, ensure the cost of installation remained within budget, and complement the beautiful 130-year-old structure. A careful survey of the building found it to be in good condition with only minor repairs needed, making it well worth the investment.
With a relatively small congregation in an aging community that is regularly challenged to meet its annual operating budget, finding the necessary funds was a significant task. A fundraising committee was formed, which labeled our initiative “The Future Fund” and set about raising $150,000.
We hired a heating consultant, and our initial options were oil-fired hot water or hot air furnaces, propane furnaces or space heaters, and commercial heat pumps/mini-splits. However, the consultant came back with an unexpected recommendation: infrared heat! Regrettably, the specific heating units recommended were intended for industrial settings and certainly would not complement our historic property.
Infrared? Why infrared? It uses electricity rather than oil. It warms people and surfaces directly rather than heating large volumes of air. It operates only when the church is in use, installation and operating costs are manageable, and the fixtures can complement the church’s décor.
We had some learning to do. A web search quickly took us to Britain, where the Church of England was encouraging its churches to become environmentally sustainable by 2030. Many were turning to infrared heat, and as a result, units were being designed to complement historic buildings. This led us to Herschel Infrared Heating and their “Halo” design.
We contacted Herschel, spoke with a British heating consultant, and interviewed the wardens of two churches that were now heated through infrared units. There were few detractors, and one warden pointed out that some members of the congregation were not even aware of the change. Another commented that the new system had encouraged their congregation, previously scattered throughout the sanctuary, to sit closer together, which he considered a very positive outcome.
Dealing with Herschel’s North American representative in North Carolina, we discovered that we would be the first church in Canada to make this change! We were breaking new ground in an environment markedly different from Great Britain. There were unknowns: would these heaters work in a drafty, 130-year-old wooden building at winter temperatures that dipped into the double-digit negatives? The exchange rate between the British Pound and the Canadian Dollar was volatile, especially in these uncertain times. Herschel assured us that delivery would not be a problem, but import duties and taxes remained unpredictable.
We reviewed Herschel’s recommended heating plan and found that it was more expensive than our budget would allow. Furthermore, it was unnecessary to heat the entire space, as the regular congregation could be accommodated in the nave of the church. Heating the whole church with Halos would also demand an electrical service upgrade that presented a financial challenge. In consultation with Herschel, we developed an alternate design that, while not ideal, would likely meet our needs. One question remained: what size heaters would deliver the necessary heat to the congregation? We settled on 4.8 kW units, and the order was placed.
The equipment arrived in early August 2025. Our able and eager electrical contractors began installation. It was no small task: the whole building needed rewiring, a new electrical service was installed, and additional poles were placed outside. By early December, we were ready to return to worship in Holy Cross Church.
We soon ran into a problem: with only one exception, Sundays were proving to be the coldest days of the week, and the winter of 2025 was unusually cold. The new Halos were not powerful enough to keep the congregation comfortable.
In consultation with Herschel, it was agreed that we needed larger heating units and should upgrade to 7.6 kW models. The replacement parts were ordered, expedited, arrived within a month, and installed. The increase in power proved essential in a building of our size and age, particularly during sustained sub-zero temperatures.
This resulted in a marked improvement for members of the congregation. Now they could feel the heat. We opted for six Halos in the nave of the church and 12 smaller ‘Manhattans’ for the chancel and transepts. This configuration was not our first choice, but it was close to the maximum number of units our new electrical service could handle. The fine-tuning continues, but feedback from most members of the congregation has been positive.
Infrared heat does take some getting used to. If you are within the range of the units, you are warmed; outside the range, the air remains cold. That is a new experience. In addition, as several members of the congregation pointed out on cold days, “if you leave your coat on, you are actually insulating yourself from the heat!” Without heat in the basement, the floor remains colder than the pews, which continues to be a challenge.
Nevertheless, the project successfully achieved all three of its primary goals: enabling year-round use of the church in a cost-effective and eco-friendly way, keeping installation costs within budget, and complementing the beautiful 130-year-old structure. Mission accomplished!
I must take time to recognize the many volunteers who contributed to this success—from those who anonymously volunteered to remove the old furnace and oil tank to those who helped swap in the new heating units. Then there was the Future Fund Committee, which reached its goal of $150,000 in just over a year. What an exceptional group of people! In the words of Psalm 126:3: “The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.”
Beyond efficiency and sustainability, this project has allowed us to gather again in our beautiful church year-round: it is a gift that cannot be measured in dollars or kilowatts.
Wayne Hallett and Cynthia Bull serve as churchwardens at Holy Cross Church in Eastport (Diocese of Central Newfoundland). Together with an energetic team, they addressed a failed heating system with a new and innovative solution.