Introduction

Ensuring your prison remains warm is crucial, especially as winter approaches. In Prison Architect, prisoners will begin to complain and even riot if their basic needs, including warmth, are not met. This guide will cover how to efficiently heat your prison and prevent potential uprisings.

Step 1: Unlocking Prison Labor and Temperature Monitoring

Before you can begin heating your prison, you need to unlock Prison Labor in the Bureaucracy menu. This will allow you to monitor temperature levels across different areas of your prison, identifying cold spots that require immediate attention.

Step 2: Setting Up a Heating System

To heat your prison, you need to install Water Boilers and Radiators:

1. Place Water Boilers – Boilers generate hot water needed for radiators and showers. While they can technically be placed anywhere, it’s best to position them in less visible areas for a cleaner design.
2. Connect Boilers to Water and Power – Boilers need a direct connection to the power grid and a water supply to function.
3. Install Radiators – Strategically place radiators in key locations, such as common areas, hallways, and cells. Bathrooms also require heating to prevent cold complaints.
4. Lay Hot Water Pipes – Use Hot Water Pipes to connect radiators to boilers, ensuring each radiator gets a steady supply of hot water.

Step 3: Managing Power Consumption

Heating requires significant power, so monitor your Power Station capacity. If your grid is at 50% or higher, consider adding more capacitors or setting up a second power station to avoid outages.

Step 4: Preventing Prisoner Complaints and Riots

As the temperature drops, prisoners may begin complaining about the cold, which raises the danger level. If left unaddressed, this can lead to riots. To mitigate this:

• Increase the number of workers to speed up boiler and radiator installation.
• Temporarily enforce a Bang-Up order to keep prisoners in their cells until heating is operational.
• Ensure key areas like the canteen, common rooms, and infirmary are heated first to maintain order.

Step 5: Verifying and Adjusting Heating Levels

Once installation is complete:

• Check Logistics > Temperature to ensure your prison is properly heated.
• Adjust the placement of radiators as needed to cover cold zones.
• Keep an eye on power usage to prevent unexpected failures.

Conclusion

With a properly installed heating system, you can keep your prisoners comfortable, reduce complaints, and prevent riots. Now that the prison is warm, the next steps could be maintenance improvements, expanding the facility, or optimizing prison operations.

Stay tuned for the next guide on prison maintenance and cleanliness!