CLIMATE SEPARATION AND CONTROL
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN YOUR DOORWAY?
For a retailer opening the doors of your business to invite customers into your premises is a commercial advantage as it generates more traffic into the store. However this can sometimes cause problems when outside temperatures drop as cold air will enter the store and the air you have spent money on heating will escape. Sometimes fitting an air curtain may not solve the problem. Biddle has the solution; the fully automatic CA2 air curtain. To the retailer the CA2 has three distinct advantages: Its fully automatic control means that staff do not need to set the air curtain. The CA2 will create a climate separation ensuring that the indoor temperature is maintained at a comfortable level and as you are not losing your heated air to the outside it will save you energy too.
OPEN DOOR WITHOUT AIR CURTAIN
When we think about problems created by an open door, we are mainly thinking of complaints about cold and/or damp. When a door is opened between outdoors and indoors the temperature difference causes a flow of air, often in both directions (see figure 1). The warm air escapes at the top of the door opening and cold air flows in from outside. This creates cold areas around the door way which is unpleasant for both customers and staff. In addition, you are also faced with sky-high energy bills, as all of the expensive warm air flows outside without restriction (see figure 1).
OPEN DOOR WITH INEFFECTIVE AIR CURTAIN
The air curtain is often set on a certain speed in the morning, according to the outside temperature, and then ignored for the rest of the day. However conditions change during the day, as a result of which the air curtain unintentionally runs too warm, too cold or at too high or too low a speed (see figures 2 and 3). As a result you waste a great deal of energy without realising (see figures 2 and 3).
OPEN DOOR WITH AUTOMATIC BIDDLE AIR CURTAIN
The Biddle CA2 automatically adjusts its output depending on the outside temperature. This ensures that the output is automatically adjusted ensuring that a comfortable indoor temperature is maintained and that the lowest possible energy is used to maintain climate separation thanks to Biddle’s best in class 94% separation efficiency.
How much energy do you save with a CA2 air curtain?
You save a great deal of energy if you select this automatic CA2 air curtain. But how much exactly do you save? Here’s an example:
- Door height: 2.5 m
- Door width: 2.0 m
- Indoor temperature: 21 ºC
- Your annual savings: ≈ 2800 €
This calculation assumes the following: the store with open doors is located on a corner. The CA2 is connected to a central heating system and the door is open nine hours per day, six days a week. By installing a CA2 with automatic controller the saving is up to 75% higher compared to a manually operated conventional air curtain. This is because the CA2 always operates to the correct settings.
CORRECT SELECTION AND INSTALLATION
Naturally, the process starts with selecting the right air curtain. The air curtain must besuitable for the situation, so you must consider door dimensions and the conditions in which the air curtain will be installed. It is also very important that the air curtain is fitted correctly.
