Time to Read: 0m 0s
[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.2.1"] "Guest Blog by Robin Zambrini, Powered Aire Inc." Air curtains are designed to save energy costs by preventing the infiltration of outside air through open doorways, thus allowing HVAC systems to work less to control inside temperature. Air curtain manufacturer Powered Aire Inc. has stepped outside of industry norm and produced air curtains ideally suited for locations where a high emphasis on energy efficiency is not just the norm, but a requirement. Case in point is the 2015 Washington State Energy Code, which mandates, among other things, more efficient HVAC performance, enhanced building envelope performance and reduced air infiltration. How to achieve these HVAC-related goals through mechanical means is also addressed. Section C405.8 of the code spells out the mandatory requirement that all electric motors meet minimum efficiency requirements, and specifically that, “Fractional hp fan motors that are 1/12 hp or greater and less than 1 hp…shall be electronically commutated motors or shall have a minimum motor efficiency of 70 percent.” The code further states that, “These motors shall also have the means to adjust motor speed…” Air curtains consist of one or more motors that supply the power to turn blower fans, enabling them to discharge a stream of air. Powered Aire’s engineering and sales staff proposed that this motor efficiency requirement could be achieved for the company’s air curtains, and not only that, do it better. 
The result is Powered Aire’s custom-designed, high-efficiency, electrically commutated Eco-Motor™. The Eco-Motor™ is a minimum of 80% efficient at all speeds and the motor speed is controllable down to 50% of maximum speed (2:1 turndown ratio). As significant as these attributes are, the Eco-Motor™ boasts an industry-changing feature of cutting the time between motor activation and maximum speed down to 1 second or less.
Traditional EC motors clock in between 5-7 seconds between activation and effective operating speed. For air curtain applications where fans are interlocked with the opening of a door and the startup time determines effectiveness, this lag time was simply unacceptable. The ECo-Motor™ effectively activates 5-7 times faster than a traditional ECM and twice as fast as a comparable PSC motor. The ECo-Motor™ offers energy efficiency, dependability and versatility for a multitude of air curtain applications. Typical applications include solving air infiltration issues at man doors, service doors and dock doors, where preventing the entry of flying insects, dumpster odors and vehicle fumes are also key advantages. Powered Aire is the leading manufacturer of stainless steel air curtains for the commercial, industrial, overhead door, material handling, automatic door, food service and cold storage industries. Powered Aire’s full line of unheated and heated air curtains range in size from compact units used over drive-thru windows to large industrial units capable of protecting door openings up to 50 ft. high. www.poweredaire.com 
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
The result is Powered Aire’s custom-designed, high-efficiency, electrically commutated Eco-Motor™. The Eco-Motor™ is a minimum of 80% efficient at all speeds and the motor speed is controllable down to 50% of maximum speed (2:1 turndown ratio). As significant as these attributes are, the Eco-Motor™ boasts an industry-changing feature of cutting the time between motor activation and maximum speed down to 1 second or less. Traditional EC motors clock in between 5-7 seconds between activation and effective operating speed. For air curtain applications where fans are interlocked with the opening of a door and the startup time determines effectiveness, this lag time was simply unacceptable. The ECo-Motor™ effectively activates 5-7 times faster than a traditional ECM and twice as fast as a comparable PSC motor. The ECo-Motor™ offers energy efficiency, dependability and versatility for a multitude of air curtain applications. Typical applications include solving air infiltration issues at man doors, service doors and dock doors, where preventing the entry of flying insects, dumpster odors and vehicle fumes are also key advantages. Powered Aire is the leading manufacturer of stainless steel air curtains for the commercial, industrial, overhead door, material handling, automatic door, food service and cold storage industries. Powered Aire’s full line of unheated and heated air curtains range in size from compact units used over drive-thru windows to large industrial units capable of protecting door openings up to 50 ft. high. www.poweredaire.com [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section] 
