After enduring frustrating hours of intricate measuring and positioning on fit-out work, an expert installer decided to take matters into his own hands and design an ‘idiot proof’ ceiling bracket.
And now the new fixtures conceived by John Robertson, an installation manager at energy efficiency specialists Direct Savings, have proved to be so popular that his company has decided to manufacture the units.
The brackets are used to support the Direct Savings’ Infranomic heating panels which omit Far Infrared energy and can be mounted to a wall or ceiling in any type of property.
John said: “It was becoming a real nightmare having to spend so long calculating measurements and lining the sides up just to install one ceiling bracket. It could take anything from 15 to 45 minutes to get each bracket up, much longer than the process should be taking.
“I started to get quite frustrated with this so I just decided to develop something that would take the strain out the process and make it simpler for the team to install the heating panels.
“The new bracket can now be installed within about ten minutes and is very simple to do. You don’t have to worry about measuring all the sides and all that fuss, it’s just one solid structure that goes up and you’re done.”
“It means we’re not wasting our time – and it is reducing the amount of time we have to spend in a customer’s house which keeps them happy too.”
Having been so impressed with John’s design, West Lothian-based Direct Savings have decided to manufacture the new ceiling brackets – they now come as one single unit compared to the old design of four individual parts which were difficult to assemble and install.
Managing Director Ged Smith said: “We know our staff are best around when it comes to customer service and workmanship.
“So it’s very pleasing to see them also thinking of ways to make things even better for the customer – and for the business.”
The new brackets are being sold for between £25-£30 depending on the number of units required.
Direct Savings is installing Infranomic systems across the UK, which are being met with great acclaim from customers. It is also working with St Andrews University on enhanced research and is involved in a joint project with Historic Scotland/National Trust of Scotland to show the value Infranomics can bring to historic properties.
The Direct Savings Infranomic heaters emit far infrared energy which floods the entire room with warmth, while the heat retention is far greater to that of warm air conventional systems. In addition, the actual operating time of the heater is greatly reduced and the heat spreads evenly throughout the room.
Sustainability and climate change consultancy experts, VercoGlobal, who conducted an independent study to determine the benefits of this form of heating, found that far infrared panels use a minimum of 41% less kWh to heat a room to the same temperature in comparison with electric storage heaters.
Far infrared is also acknowledged as a natural and harmless form of heating that is actually beneficial to the human body – the body is designed to absorb infrared energy as it operates on the same frequency.
Uniquely, the heating panels can be designed to look like art work or mirrors and can even take the shape of a favourite picture or image.
Direct Savings is one of the UK’s leading national installer of high quality, innovative energy saving solutions. It operates out of six bases – its Bathgate head office, Livingston, Perth, Peterhead, Milton Keynes and Bradford.
For more information on Direct Savings’ visit: http://www.directsavings-heating.co.uk
