Air Barriers

Why Use Air Barriers?

Air Barriers create an effective seal on the doorway by re-circulating the facility air in a laminar (smooth) flow across an open doorway.

Open doors account for a considerable amount of the energy loss in a building. A correctly installed Air Barrier can seal off an open doorway, and reduce the heat (and air conditioning) loss through the door as much as 90%, translating into substantial energy savings, as well as creating a more comfortable environment for both employees and customers. When employees are more comfortable, they tend to be more productive. When customers are more comfortable, they tend to stay longer and spend more, resulting in increased profit! Air Barriers have also been proven beneficial in certain manufacturing and packaging processes where a contaminant free environment and/or temperature stability are critical.

Air Barrier Benefits

• Save Energy: Virtually eliminate the escape of conditioned air, whether it's heated or cooled. This leads to substantial energy savings, making a big difference in your utility costs.
• Enhance Comfort: Our system establishes an invisible air barrier, ensuring easy passage for people while maintaining a consistently comfortable indoor temperature.
• Stop Cold Drafts: The air barrier effectively blocks external cold air from entering the premises, keeping those unwanted drafts at bay.
• Keep Out Heat/Humidity: During warmer months, this innovative solution keeps your valuable cool air inside, preventing it from slipping out into the heat.
• Deter Dust & Insects: The laminar airflow acts as a protective screen, preventing dust, debris, and insects from intruding into your space.
• Environmental Separation: It serves as a boundary between your indoor environment and the outside world, ensuring external conditions will not disrupt your indoor comfort.
• Maintain Indoor Temperatures: By sealing the doorway, it maintains your preferred indoor temperatures with greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Case Study

Problem

At an Airport, high volume and continuous door usage creates a very difficult environment to maintain a comfortable temperature inside the terminals. Temperature loss was impacting the thermal comfort inside, thus creating problems with staff and the valued customer's comfort, along with high energy costs.

Solution

• After a detailed site survey we proposed the use of two Air Barriers over each doorway. Designed and fitted with two auto-actuators meant the units only came into operation when the doors were opened. We recorded temperature within, roughly a 3ft (1 meter) range of the entrances, where one door had the door seal on and the other off. Which means we could draw a direct comparison in the results. When the unprotected door opened, there was an instant temperature difference and the internal temperature dropped below 0°C (32°F).
• In comparison, the protected doorway was able to maintain a temperature of 16°C (60.8°F) with the door open, proving the barrier can effectively seal the doorway. In addition to the temperature benefit, they also prevent ingress of smoke, odours, and other airborne contaminants creating a higher potential for high IAQ (Indoor Air Quality). Not to mention the reduced energy consumption that has been realized by the airport.