Commercial HVAC in the East Midlands

Why are East Midlands warehouses a heating and air-movement problem first?

Because the buildings are big, the outdoor air is cool for much of the year and indoor workplaces have a normal minimum temperature to maintain. HSE says the minimum temperature in an indoor workplace should normally be at least 16°C, or 13°C if much of the work involves rigorous physical effort. The Met Office 1991 to 2020 averages show how far outdoor conditions sit below that:

Station	Mean January daily maximum (°C)	Mean July daily maximum (°C)	Days of air frost per year
Nottingham, Watnall	6.91	21.49	36.93
Northampton, Moulton Park	7.12	22.05	39.66

A tall shed with large doors loses heat fast, and warm air collects at roof level. That is why heating and air movement usually come before cooling, which tends to be reserved for offices, control rooms and temperature-sensitive stock. With 37 to 40 days of air frost a year, frost protection for water-filled coils and pipework also needs thought. The warehouse heating guide covers heating options, and HVLS fans are one way to move air through tall spaces.

Where is the logistics stock concentrated?

ONS employee jobs data for 2024 shows transport and storage far above the national share in a few authorities. North West Leicestershire has 19,000 such jobs, 24.7% of its employee jobs, against 6.6% for the East Midlands and 5.0% for Great Britain. West Northamptonshire has 24,000 (11.1%), Harborough 6,000 (14.6%) and North Northamptonshire 13,000 (8.7%). Together those four authorities hold 62,000 transport and storage jobs, which is a lot of racking, docks and loading doors to heat and ventilate.

The East Midlands Freeport has three tax sites: East Midlands Gateway and Industrial Cluster, East Midlands Intermodal Park and Ratcliffe on Soar, designated with effect from 22 March 2022. HMRC allows a 100% first-year allowance for companies on qualifying new plant used primarily in a special tax site, in English freeports until 30 September 2031.

Nationally, Valuation Office figures put industry floorspace in England and Wales at 417.5 million square metres at 31 March 2026, up from 410.9 million a year earlier. The VO breaks its floorspace statistics down by sector and geographic location, and says the increase from 2023 to 2026 is almost exclusively in the industry sector.

How much manufacturing and office space sits behind that?

ONS workforce jobs for June 2026 show manufacturing at 260,000 jobs in the East Midlands (10.5%, against 6.7% for the UK) and transport and storage at 169,000 (6.8%, against 5.2%). Employee jobs for 2024 show how it varies by place:

Area	Manufacturing employee jobs (share)	Transport and storage employee jobs (share)
Derby	22,000 (15.9%)	5,000 (3.6%)
North Northamptonshire	20,000 (13.4%)	13,000 (8.7%)
Leicester	19,000 (11.0%)	5,000 (2.9%)
Hinckley and Bosworth	8,000 (18.2%)	4,500 (10.2%)
Nottingham	10,000 (4.7%)	6,000 (2.8%)

Hinckley and Bosworth's 18.2% manufacturing share is the highest in the table, and Derby's 15.9% is more than double the 7.3% for Great Britain. Manufacturing sites add process loads, such as machine cooling, extract and make-up air, which need their own design conditions beside the comfort systems. City-centre offices are different. Nottingham has 213,000 employee jobs, including 22,000 in professional, scientific and technical activities (10.3%, against 8.1% for the East Midlands), 23,000 in education and 40,000 in human health and social work. Dense occupancy, meeting rooms and IT are what drive cooling there. See commercial air conditioning for the system types.

How hot can the East Midlands get?

The UK record is 40.3°C, reached at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on 19 July 2022, exceeding the previous record by 1.6°C. July average maximums at Watnall and Northampton are 21.49°C and 22.05°C, so plant sized only for average July conditions is tested in a heatwave. Design outdoor temperatures should be agreed with the designer in writing.

What do the network and net zero plans mean for new plant?

National Grid Electricity Distribution powers the Midlands, South West and South Wales, and the Energy Networks Association lists it for the East Midlands licence area. Capacity is worth checking early: see electrical capacity for new HVAC plant.

The East Midlands Combined County Authority covers Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Derby and Nottingham. It says its journey to net zero will see it become carbon neutral by 2050, and it has backed a Local Area Energy Plan to meet Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire's net zero targets. Leicestershire and Northamptonshire sit outside that authority, so projects there follow their own councils' policies.

Which East Midlands town pages go deeper?

• Derby for the manufacturing-led picture.
• Nottingham for city-centre offices and public estates.
• Leicester for a mixed manufacturing and office base.
• Northampton for West Northamptonshire logistics.
• Kettering, Corby and Wellingborough for the North Northamptonshire distribution and factory belt.

What should you gather before asking for quotes?

• Building height, door sizes, the age and type of existing heating, and any stratification problem.
• Which areas genuinely need cooling: offices, control rooms, stock rooms or process areas.
• Process loads and operating hours, kept separate from comfort loads.
• Existing electrical capacity and any planned increase.

Readers can send an enquiry through the site's form once those are to hand, and the HVAC cost guide explains what moves price.

Sources

• Temperature in the workplace: employer guidance, Health and Safety Executive, checked 22 October 2026
• Location-specific long-term averages, Nottingham Watnall and Northampton Moulton Park, Met Office, checked 22 October 2026
• A milestone in UK climate history, and UK climate extremes, Met Office, checked 22 October 2026
• Labour Market Profile - East Midlands, and local authority profiles (Derby, Hinckley and Bosworth, Harborough, Leicester, Nottingham, North Northamptonshire, North West Leicestershire, West Northamptonshire), Office for National Statistics via Nomis, checked 22 October 2026
• Maps of East Midlands Freeport tax sites, HM Revenue and Customs, and CA23122, HMRC Capital Allowances Manual, GOV.UK, checked 22 October 2026
• Non-domestic rating: business floorspace, March 2026, Valuation Office, GOV.UK, checked 22 October 2026
• Bringing electric power to your region, National Grid Electricity Distribution, and Find my network operator, Energy Networks Association, checked 22 October 2026
• Net zero, and Local Area Energy Plan news, East Midlands Combined County Authority, checked 22 October 2026

Commercial HVAC questions in the East Midlands

Do Northamptonshire and Leicestershire distribution units need air conditioning?

Most need heating and air movement first. January daily highs average under 8°C at the two Met Office stations above, and HSE's normal minimum for an indoor workplace is 16°C, or 13°C where much of the work involves rigorous physical effort. Cooling is usually reserved for offices, control rooms and temperature-sensitive stock.

Is Derby a process-cooling or comfort-cooling market?

Both. Derby has 22,000 manufacturing employee jobs, 15.9% of the total against 11.6% for the East Midlands, so process loads are common. Offices and public buildings still need comfort systems, and designers usually keep the two loads separate.

Are Nottingham and Leicester offices more likely to need cooling than warehouses?

Often, because occupancy and IT create internal heat gains. Nottingham has 22,000 professional, scientific and technical jobs and 40,000 in human health and social work, and Leicester has 38,000 in human health and social work (22.0%). Those offices and health buildings typically have higher occupancy than most sheds.

Did the 2022 heatwave change what East Midlands buildings should plan for?

The Met Office recorded 40.3°C at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on 19 July 2022, against July averages of about 21 to 22 degrees at Watnall and Northampton. Plant designed only for average July conditions is tested by a heatwave. Ask the designer to state the outdoor design temperature in the specification.