HOW AIR CURTAINS & STRIP DOOR CURTAINS ASSIST WITH HEAT RETENTION
Heat retention is one of the hardest energy costs to solve for businesses or warehouse managers. The fact of the matter is that keeping warm air inside is hard during winter months, when customers or product is moving back and forth from the frigid outside to the toasty, comfortable inside. Each door opening essentially lets money fly right through in the form of wasted heat, which is later reflected in a high energy bill. It can be bad during the summer months, too, when humidity outside works its way indoors and causes the air conditioner to run all the time. This, too, increases ultimate energy and financial costs for any business that must open its doors to the outside many times during the day.
The process which causes this heat loss is related to thermodynamics, which states that heat travels from hotter space to colder space, always trying to even itself out as best as it can. This is fine for physics, but for any indoor working environment trying to avoid wasting heat, it causes trouble.
But air curtains and vinyl strip curtains are two fantastic additions to any business to help them save energy and money all year long by retaining heat. They operate in different ways but accomplish the same goal: keeping air exchange minimal to ensure that heat transfer is as low as possible. In doing this, both air curtains and strip door curtains prevent heat from the inside escaping outside, wasting it and driving costs up for the business-owner. We break down exactly how they help below.
HEAT RETENTION MEANS ENERGY SAVINGS
The energy cost of powering a warehouse or other place of business can be huge. During the colder, winter months, running a heater all day can rack up the amount of energy you consume very quickly, and during the summer humidity can change the internal environment of the workplace such that the air conditioner is running all the time.
All of that excess energy is wasted if air curtains and strip door curtains aren’t in place. By retaining the internal temperature of the workspace, a comfortable workplace temperature is maintained and has to be adjusted less frequently. This is a real condition in both cold or warm parts of the year; keeping the internal temperature and humidity of the workplace consistent and comfortable is much easier if heat and/or cold is stopped from escaping to the outside. Saving this energy is great for your business and for the planet, as it costs less fuel to keep a comfortable workplace for employees.
All of that excess energy is wasted if air curtains and strip door curtains aren’t in place. By retaining the internal temperature of the workspace, a comfortable workplace temperature is maintained and has to be adjusted less frequently. This is a real condition in both cold or warm parts of the year; keeping the internal temperature and humidity of the workplace consistent and comfortable is much easier if heat and/or cold is stopped from escaping to the outside. Saving this energy is great for your business and for the planet, as it costs less fuel to keep a comfortable workplace for employees.
Air curtains provide this service by blasting a controlled jet of air down into the space of an open door, creating a pocket that separates the two environments. This prevents the two air spaces from mixing, exchanging heat and humidity and changing the internal air quality. This air is very quick and designed to be unobtrusive to customers or employees passing through, and the pocket created dissipates by the time that the door closes normally. You can often find air curtains in places like Starbucks and Costco’s, which use them in their main doors since customers walk through them all day long. The air curtains also blast away any pesky bugs that could contaminate the food, but also help to retain heat so that the café is a comfortable, warm or cool place to relax.
Air curtains provide this service by blasting a controlled jet of air down into the space of an open door, creating a pocket that separates the two environments. This prevents the two air spaces from mixing, exchanging heat and humidity and changing the internal air quality. This air is very quick and designed to be unobtrusive to customers or employees passing through, and the pocket created dissipates by the time that the door closes normally. You can often find air curtains in places like Starbucks and Costco’s, which use them in their main doors since customers walk through them all day long. The air curtains also blast away any pesky bugs that could contaminate the food, but also help to retain heat so that the café is a comfortable, warm or cool place to relax.
Strip door curtains act as real barriers, blocking dust, bugs and cold air pockets, like gusts of wind, from entering the workspace and changing the temperature or air composition. These don’t block customer or employee access at all, instead only requiring someone to push through them to access the other side. These are used very often in places like grocery stores or meat packers, since the interior of the facility is usually refrigerated and very cold compared to the rest of the space. Of course, the vinyl strip doors keep everything on the side without refrigeration plenty warm, since it doesn’t allow the warmer air to reach the colder sections of the store or factory.
Summary: Keeping temperature regulated stops your heater or air conditioner from running as much, saving energy that might otherwise be used to warm or cool the workspace.
AIR CURTAINS AND STRIP DOOR CURTAINS ARE COST-EFFICIENT
Although they have an upfront cost, air curtains and vinyl strip doors both end up saving money by reducing the energy bill of your warehouse or business over months and years. The savings are, in time, much greater than the money saved by not buying these essential additions to a warehouse.
The principle is relatively simple; the more the heater or air conditioner is run, the higher the energy bill. With these heat retaining products in place, less energy is needed, so the bill goes down. These cost-effective measures can be seen in action in places like Costco, where their entrances and loading bay doors are buffeted by air curtains and strip doors. Costco itself is known for its economic intelligence; that they use these measures to save money says volumes as to their reliability.
Summary: By purchasing air curtains or strip door curtains to assist with heat retention, you save money in the long run by using less energy to heat or cool the workspace.
AIR EXCHANGE IS KEPT MINIMAL
Air exchange happens regardless of preventative measures in place; this is when heat from the warmer area is transferred to the colder area, which makes a warehouse colder in the winter months or makes it gain humidity in the summer months. Both of these effects make the workplace more uncomfortable.
Airflow can be kept minimal through the use of air curtains and strip door curtains. Air curtains quite literally blow the opposing air pockets away from each other, preventing heat exchange while doors open and close. This is important because opening and closing doors is notorious for wasting thermal energy; this is why revolving doors are quoted as being “green” or “energy-saving”, as they rotate the same pocket of air again and again, keeping exchange to a minimum. Air curtains do this same thing without needing to change to a revolving door.
Vinyl strip curtains accomplish the same measure by acting as a physical barrier. Since they flop from side to side as someone passes through them, the entire space of the door is never fully-opened for air exchange, which lessens the amount of heat transferred back or forth.
Summary: Keeping airflow regulated stops heat from escaping to cooler places, like outdoors, or other sections of the workspace.
WHY BUSINESSES SHOULD CONSIDER AIR CURTAINS AND STRIP DOORS
Air curtains and strip door curtains are superior additions to any energy-conscious business or warehouse. They keep heat or cool air inside and maintain a consistent, comfortable working environment for both employees and customers alike. Perhaps best of all, they allow constant movement inside and outside without the same energy costs that bare doors force upon your business’s bottom line.
All the warehouses and loading docks that boast these great enhancements aren’t doing it for style; they’re doing it for the practical applications they offer. Air curtains and vinyl strip doors are a valuable part of any business looking to cut financial and energy costs. They come in many sizes and orientations, so there’s no reason to delay. Check out the air curtains and strip door curtain selection DACO offers, contact us, and start saving heat (and money!) today.
DACO Corp
8825 S. 184th St
Kent, Washington 98031
1-877-764-0453
