Have you been thinking about installing an air curtain (or a series of air curtains) at your business? Air curtains are a good investment that can yield a slew of different benefits. If you are just beginning to research air curtain or air door solutions, though, you might not be fully aware of why these devices are becoming so popular in so many commercial and industrial settings. Here are five core facts to know about air curtains before you start shopping.
1. Air curtains are multi-functional
Most businesses choose air curtains because of one or two of their advertised benefits. Businesses in the food service industry, for instance, might be interested in the ability of an air curtain to provide a barrier against insects, dust, debris, fumes, and other impurities that might impact sanitation. Restaurants or retail store owners, meanwhile, are often drawn to air curtains because they make it easier to maintain stable interior temperatures even when patrons are constantly going in or out an exterior door. The best thing about air curtains is that it provides all these benefits and more. From energy savings and temperature stability to cleanliness and sanitation, all air curtains can serve multiple functions at once.
2. Air curtains are a fitting substitute for vestibules
Vestibules can provide many of the same benefits of air curtains. They serve as a buffer between the outside world and the interior of a commercial building, thereby keeping out cold drafts, fumes, dust, and other unwanted impurities. Indeed, vestibules are so effective for these purposes that they have previously been required on certain commercial buildings by both the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and the International Green Construction Code (IgCC). The problem with vestibules is that they take up a considerable amount of space and are expensive to build. Air curtains are a low-cost alternative to vestibules and have been recognized as such by both the IECC and the IgCC. In other words, commercial buildings that would have been required to have vestibules in the past can now get by with air curtains instead.
3. Air curtains come in an array of different sizes, styles, and designs
As you might imagine, air curtains are not a one-size-fits-all technology. On the contrary, air curtains and air doors are available in a wide range of sizes, styles, and designs. There are air curtains available for standard-sized door openings. There are also air curtains intended for drive-thru windows, garage doors, or loading dock doors, and even walk-in coolers or freezers. Every door or window opening requires a curtain that matches its length or width and has enough power to propel a stream of air across the entire opening. Fortunately, the air curtain market is broad enough to meet the needs of any business. As for design and style, some business owners want their air curtains to blend into the overall architectural style of the space. For instance, in a fancy restaurant, an industrial-looking air curtain might be a mood killer. There are sleeker and more incognito models available for settings where aesthetics matter.
4. Air curtains can save your business energy and money
We already mentioned that one of the major draws of air curtains is their energy-saving capability. By limiting heat transfer and maintaining interior temperature—both in the summer and winter—air curtains can provide valuable support to your HVAC system. More stable temperatures mean your heating or air conditioning system isn’t working so hard to keep climate at thermostat level. In turn, these systems aren’t using as much energy— savings that you will notice on your business’s monthly utility bills. How much energy savings can an air curtain provide, you may ask? The answer depends on your business and where you are planning to use the air curtain. However, studies have shown that air curtains can cut a company’s energy usage by more than 30 percent. Some major air curtain brands, such as Berner, even have calculators on their website to help customers estimate their likely energy savings.
5. Air curtains offer quiet operation
One of the biggest worries that business owners have about air curtains is that they will be noisy and distracting. Indeed, air curtains create a little bit of sound when generating the flow of air that covers open doors or windows. However, this technology has advanced to the point where most brands offer products boasting “whisper quiet” operation. In most cases, an air curtain won’t create more noise than your heater or air conditioner does whenever it activates. The exceptions—the louder air curtains—are mostly used for industrial applications, such as in factories or warehouses. In these settings, the noise is usually less of a problem than it would be in a smaller or more intimate space, like in a bar or restaurant.
Are you interested in installing an air curtain or air door at your business? At Air Door Distributors, we carry a wide variety of products from the top air curtain manufacturers in the world. To learn more about our product range, or to get recommendations about which air curtain is best for your purposes, call us today at 866-402-1642.