A Norman restaurateur invents heated benches to compensate for the ban on radiant heaters

This time, for sure, the braziers, electric radiant heaters and other gas umbrellas must have disappeared from the terraces of cafes and restaurants by April 1, 2022. The measure, which is part of the “Climate and Resilience” bill, would have had to apply earlier. But the Covid crisis prompted the government to grant additional time to already very vulnerable traders.

Because removing the heating on the terrace also means depriving yourself of a significant clientele. Especially since with the epidemic, many customers prefer to be in the open air rather than in a confined space. According to the GNI (National Group of Independents), “terraces represent 30% of turnover in the hotel and restaurant sector. And in this 30%, part is achieved thanks to the heating and the comfort provided to customers”.

But that comfort couldn’t justify what some consider a “ecological nonsense”. This is how Emmanuelle Wargon, Secretary of State for Ecological Transition when the law was passed, designated the heating systems for the terraces. As for Thierry Salomon, of the négaWatt association, he recalled in an article published on LinkedIn, that a heated terrace with braziers can consume up to “50,400 kWh per winter” and issue “13.7 tons of carbon dioxide” in the air. It is “the equivalent of the emissions of a new sedan which would drive 122,000 km, that is to say three times around the globe”.

In view of all these arguments, the solution imagined by Philippe Debray and his son Guillaume is therefore appealing. Owners of a brewery in Pont-Audemer in the Eure, they tried to find an ecological and economical alternative. Inspired by the heated seats of cars, they have developed these benches in which low temperature resistance is installed.

Consumption is much lower than with radiant heating. According to Philippe Debray, “a bench of two meters takes fifteen minutes to heat up and consumes 700 watts against 2000 to 3500 per day for a radiant heater”. According to him, it would take 10 heaters to heat a terrace like his. “This represents 60 euros of electricity per day”, according to the restaurateur… At the end of winter, the electricity bill can be very salty when the temperatures drop.

If the bench imagined by the Debray family is not 100% green, it tends towards a more acceptable solution. It consumes less electricity and what’s more, it’s local! Created from recycled aluminium, the bench panels are manufactured by a boilermaker in Pont-Audemer then assembled with resistance and insulation in the premises of the company Hotbench, created last April.

One thing is certain, customers approve: “You can have a coffee even when it’s cold, said one of them. I find that quite a fantastic idea. It’s stupid, but you had to think about it!”