S & P Coil Products Limited

There are a whole range of options available to designers when considering the application of cooling for a building, but unlike Europe, radiant cooling systems are rarely selected in the UK. In some ways this is surprising since they are more efficient, more comfortable, more attractive and healthier than systems which circulate cooled air. They are also less costly to run and maintain, and use less energy.                                

The term ‘Radiant Cooling’ is in some ways misleading in that it is not possible to radiate ‘cool’. What the term refers to is that a large chilled surface directly absorbs the radiant heat emitted from other surfaces in the room. The result is that there is less asymmetric radiation in the room, and the room feels a couple of degrees cooler than the air temperature which is the reverse of the radiant heating effect. This has a corresponding reduction in energy required to maintain a comfort temperature as the actual cooling load is reduced.

ThermaSail Radiant Conditioning Sails fill the gap between chilled ceilings and passive chilled beams in almost every aspect. They also provide all the benefits of a radiant cooling system, yet achieve roughly double the output of a conventional chilled ceiling. This convective output  will diffuse around the sides of the sail, without creating any uncomfortable draughts.

SPC ThermaSail is manufactured from a patented composite aluminium sheet. The sheet is strong and rigid, requiring no other structure than the flat panel itself. This feature of the sail is crucial to its performance, as without sidewalls or other strengthening structures above the ThermaSail, the air above the sail is cooled, and allowed to freely convect down around the edges of the sail. The addition of a sidewall would reduce the output by 15 – 20%.

A Radiant Conditioning ThermaSail is also very slim, and the smooth finished surface can be just 60mm below the soffit, whilst still allowing for convection air movement above. This means that there is very little ceiling height lost, and sails can be used in low ceiling applications.

With the strength and simplicity of the composite aluminium structure, a ThermaSail can be made to almost any shape, size and colour. Other services can easily be integrated, which could include for example down-lights, up-lights, or lights suspended from and below the sails. Other services such as ventilation grilles or sprinklers could also be integrated in to the sails.

The simplicity of a ThermaSail also makes the installation easy. Weighing less than 8Kg per square metre including water, the sail is normally suspended from the soffit on suitable adjustable hangers (usually wire hanging systems), and the connections made either horizontally or vertically. This makes them very suitable for both new build and refurbishment projects, and also makes it straightforward to adjust layouts should office spaces be divided differently at a later stage.

Sometimes, you need help – to solve problems weigh up options, take decisions, make things happen.  We at HASL can support these activities in many different ways.  But the underlying benefit we bring is our ability to provide you with the right kind of help in the right sort of way.  To meet your varied and ever-changing requirements we at HASL can offer a SPC CPD seminar’ approved by the CPD Certification Service to discuss the benefits and design principles of Radiant Conditioning Sails, and a design service to assist with selection of sails for specific applications.

For more information on all HASL CPD seminars, please do not hesitate to contact our sales team at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Alternatively, please call 01506 438083.

Issue Date: September 2007