Thermal insulation, 2017

St John’s has a large nave with a high ceiling – it is therefore a very large space to heat.

Warm air rises – so in order to provide an acceptable temperature at ground floor level, it will have to be very warm at ceiling level!
The heat loss through the half inch thick plaster ceiling panels must therefore be great, and the energy saving when this is insulated is expected to be significant.

Part of the Heritage Lottery Funding provided for covering the whole of the Nave ceiling with 300mm Rockwool thermal insulation. Here are the rolls positioned ready for lifting up into the loft space.
Given the height of the ceiling above floor level, and the fact that the ceiling panels are only a half inch thick, working in the loft space required comprehensive safety arrangements.

One option would have been to scaffold out the whole the Nave to form a crash deck in case of falls through the ceiling panels.

However, the contractor chose to use fall harnesses attached to safety ropes as a more cost-effective solution. Part of the rope installation is shown here, prior to the commencement of insulation work: