Case

Lower heating costs in old churches with IoT

With Together Tech's IoT solution, the congregation's property manager can remotely monitor the temperature and humidity in all churches.

With Together Tech's IoT solution, the congregation's property manager can remotely monitor the temperature and humidity in all churches. With an calendar that shows planned activities such as weddings and baptisms, it is easy to turn on the heat via the web shortly before the ceremony starts, and quickly turn it off when a ceremony is finished. Being able to greatly reduce the time the churches are heated is of great importance in reducing energy costs.

Remote control and monitoring of sensitive church environments

In Sweden, there are roughly 3,400 churches spread over 1,288 congregations. Close to 3,000 of the churches are protected under the Cultural Environment Act and many are small rural churches that are heated with direct-acting electricity. High electricity costs mean that new solutions for energy efficiency today have a high priority. Another challenge is to be able to control the indoor climate and keep the humidity at a level that means that sensitive church furnishings are not damaged by moisture. Together Tech offers complete IoT solutions for sensitive church environments where the heating and indoor climate can be controlled and monitored remotely.

An effective control strategy

There are seven churches in Hammarlöv's parish on Söderslätt in the southwestern of Skåne. For six of the churches, which are heated with direct-acting electricity, the congregation made a decision almost ten years ago to both improve energy efficiency and monitor the humidity. They did it with the help of an IoT solution consisting of wireless temperature and humidity sensors and a web-based system. The congregation chose an IoT platform developed by the company Wiotech. The company was acquired a few years later by Together Tech, which, with Wiotech's products as a base, continued the investment in developing a broad program of IoT products.

The collaboration with Hammarslöv's parish has also continued and the original IoT solution has been gradually renewed. The early investment in IoT meant that Hammarlöv's parish received an effective control strategy that reduced heating costs, keeps moisture levels under control and provides a good thermal comfort that makes churchgoers feel comfortable.

Starts the heating remotely via the web

Traditionally, the heat in a majority of the country's churches has been turned on and off manually by church wardens. Before ceremonies during weekends, it is not uncommon for the heat to be turned on a couple of days before, and turned off after the weekends. The lack of systems for controlling the heating led to many congregations suffering very high electricity costs during the pandemic, and were forced to reduce church opening hours. That was not the case for Hammarlöv's congregation. The parish has instead reduced its heating costs and kept the churches open as usual despite high electricity prices.

With Together Tech's IoT solution, the congregation's property manager can remotely monitor the temperature and humidity in all churches. With a calendar that shows planned activities such as weddings and baptisms, it is then easy to turn on the heat via the web shortly before the ceremony starts, and quickly turn it off when a ceremony is finished. Being able to greatly reduce the time the churches are heated is of great importance in reducing energy costs.

Wanted to save money and care for sensitive inventory

"There were two goals that were in focus when we chose to invest in IoT technology. On the one hand, we wanted to save money through energy efficiency, and on the other hand, we wanted to use the technology in combination with a dehumidifier to achieve ideal humidity. Both goals have been achieved and we are very satisfied with the IoT solution. The fact that we were able to stay on budget when electricity prices skyrocketed during the pandemic, and keep all the churches open, is an extra plus."

Anders Wärleus, property manager in Hammarlöv parish and chairman of the church council.

The ideal moisture level

The churches equipped with IoT technology were built in the 12th and 13th centuries with 16th century altarpieces, 17th century oak pulpits and baptismal font and 18th century organs among the delicate furnishings. The majority of rural churches in Sweden have historically been unheated. This was also the case in Hammarlöv's parish until the middle of the 19th century, when stoves were installed to improve the comfort of churchgoers. A negative effect of heating churches is an increased relative humidity with the consequence that wood swells, shrinks and cracks. It is therefore important to have control over the relative humidity and for Anders Wärleus it is easy to remotely check that the churches have the ideal relative humidity of 60%, and he looks forward to the continued development of IoT technology:

"Being able to remotely and via the web monitor temperature and humidity, and start and turn off the heating is very convenient. At the same time, a little manual work is required as, after matching the churches' almanacs, I myself set the appropriate temperature and start the heating. Together Tech is working on developing the IoT technology so that this happens automatically, and I look forward to that solution," concludes Anders Wärleus.

The picture shows Maglarp's church, and the picture at the top shows Västra Tommarp's church.