With temperatures due to plummet, the height of the shopping season just around the corner and visitor footfall into your premises due to increase, keeping your premises heated can be challenging as well as crucial for the comfort of customers/visitors and staff alike.
An open door policy is becoming more and more common (especially within retail) as it generates a welcoming vibe, attracting more visitors to a premises, but this comes at a great financial and environmental cost. The warm air escapes, the cold air enters, the temperature drops and the thermostat triggers the heating to come on.
An Enershield Air Barrier can create up a 90% seal across an open doorway by recirculating ambient air. The seal separates the atmospheres on either side preventing the transfer of temperature, humidity, dust, odours, smoke and insects. As an indication, for each unit of energy that an Enershield Air Barrier consumes, it will save 15.
The effectiveness of Enershield air barriers (in preventing heat loss and the ingress of cold air) is clearly illustrated by these thermal images.
Enershield Air Barrier Off
Notice the leakage of warm air at the top of the doorway and the ingress of cold air at the bottom.
Enershield Air Barrier On
Enershield successfully separating two environments.
The installation of an Enershield Air Barrier:
- Reduces energy costs
- Provides thermal comfort for staff and customers
- Provides environmental separation
- Prevents flying insect ingress
- Prevents external pollutant ingress
- Improves cleanliness
- Enhances overall comfort
- Provides return on investment
Air Barrier Vs Air Curtain
Air barriers should not be confused with a heated warm air curtain, whose primary design objective is to provide warmth at an open doorway. Without a proper seal across an open door, your expensively heated air along with the warm blast from the typical heated air curtain is immediately conveyed to the outside. A typical 5Kw air curtain will operate 8hours per day, 5 days per week and will consume in excess of £1,000 electricity per annum. Under the same conditions an Enershield Air Barrier will consume £60 of electricity per annum.
Here’s what some of our clients said about their Enershield results
“The problem was the main entrance in the reception area consisting of four automatic doors. Staff had been complaining about the cold, especially on days when there was a strong wind. During winter months internal temperatures were dropping to as low as 5 or 6°C. We struggled to resolve our problem as the existing over door heaters were not providing a solution.
By installing two Enershield Microshield Air barriers, we are now achieving the targeted temperatures of at least 20°C. This solution has improved customer satisfaction and dramatically enhanced our staff comfort.” Synergy Director
“There was a problem of cold air rushing into our main reception whenever the automatic doors were opened. The problem was twofold, firstly for comfort and secondly; lost heat going out the door… I went ahead with the project and the Enershield unit completely lived up to expectations.” Energy Manager
“Installed during a cold snap in December, the benefits were seen immediately. Desk staff were able to turn off their stand-alone heaters and again work in comfortable attire, energy savings were made and internal temperatures can now be more accurately controlled.” Engineering Contracts Manager
For more information on the Enershield Air Barrier, or for a site survey including a predicted return on investment for the installation of Enershield into your premises, please contact us.
Posted by