St George’s is an historic 19th century Catholic Church in the ancient city of York. Designed by Charles and Joseph Hansom (of Hansom cab fame), the church was built in 1850 to serve the needs of the large number of Irish immigrants arriving in England at that time to find work in the farms and on railway construction.

St George’s is still a thriving church with a large and cosmopolitan congregation. In common with many other similar period churches, it has had a problem finding effective heating during the long winter months.

It has now become the first church in the UK to benefit from new DRU Kamara powered flue wall heaters. Kamara gas convector heaters are designed for churches, schools, offices and other public buildings. They have a range of heat outputs from 7 to 16 kW, subject to the size of building. They have cool-touch casings and deliver efficient and comfortable heating with low noise levels, making them very suitable for churches.

The heaters have been designed with installers in mind. They arrive already T-plumbed, with a one-piece outer casing for quick and easy installation. They also have a standard 100 mm flue diameter, so they can be installed directly into existing flue outlets without disturbing the fabric of the building, a key factor in the decision by St George’s.

For churches that are only used on certain days of the week, DRU Kamara heaters offer an economical and efficient alternative to central heating. They can be installed at much less cost and disruption than a wet system. And, with their forced air operation, they can heat up the building within two hours of the start of a service or meeting.

St George’s York required a total of nine Kamara heaters, which were installed by the DRU team of experienced gas heating engineers. Commenting on the installation, Peter O’Reilly, the parishioner responsible for church maintenance, praised the DRU team for the efficient and courteous way they completed the contract. He also said that he was impressed by the warmth and comfort of the new heaters.