Electric heating systems for the conservation of old castles
The Örebro Castle is a medieval castle fortification situated in the scenic region of Närke, Sweden. The castle lies on an island by the river Svartån. The oldest part of the castle, a defense tower, was erected in the latter half of the 13th century, but its present appearance, the Örebro Castle, was constructed over the last century. Since 1935, the castle has been a national Swedish monument.
Many important events in Swedish history have taken place in the Örebro Castle. Nowadays, it is open to the general public, and you can take a guided tour to feel the monumental history hidden within its walls. It appears that those walls also hide solutions tailored for the 21st century.
The challenge:
Complete roof renovation while maintaining a national monument without risk to security and safety
Several years ago the castle underwent a complete roof renovation where a new copper plate and new gutters were installed. Since frost damages roof gutters and brickwork in winter it was decided to install an outdoor electrical heating system in Örebro Castle to increase safety and prevent damage to the castle and take care of the problems before they arise.
The biggest challenge for the system was not only to provide security and safety in an environmentally-balanced way, but to also not damage the national Swedish monument. This sensitive project was conducted in 3 stages.
The solution:
Electric heating system protecting visitors and owners' wallet from winter troubles
Winter can be a dangerous, troublesome, and expensive occurrence for every house owner. Can you imagine how difficult it can be for a castle owner in Nordic Sweden? Snow can accumulate on the castle rooftop. On sunny winter days, snow begins to melt due to solar heat. Melted snow trickles down and can settle along colder valleys, overhangs, and inside gutters. On freezing winter nights, when temperatures fall below 0⁰C again, melted snow refreezes, forming dams of ice, which can damage the roof and pipes. In order to avoid this kind of expensive destruction, the Örebro Castle was equipped with nearly 1,000 meters of self-limiting heating cables.
The result:
Delicate installation of self-limiting electric heating cables for the roof, gutters and pipes.
The installation of the electric heating system in Örebro Castle was a huge challenge, especially for our partner and cardinal constructor of the castle renovation. The highly specialized installers, Elprofilen , not only had to take special care with each part of their work according to national monument status, they also had to act in accordance with legal regulations, e.g., drilling was forbidden.
The entire project was extremely sensitive and tricky. The biggest challenge was a scaffolding construction. Climbing workers were engaged in order to help. For the Örebro Castle renovation project, the heating cable DEVIiceguard™, DEVI Easy Connect and control system, and DEVIreg™ 850 with humidity and temperature sensors were chosen.
The project succeeded. Even the White Lady from the Örebro Castle feels safer and more comfortable—ask her when you visit the castle during your holidays.
Project Overview:
DEVIiceguard™ 1,000 m
DEVI Easy Connect
DEVIreg™ 850