Stop open doors blowing a hole in your profits

Dec. 6, 2012 - PRLog -- Pubs, restaurants and hotels offer a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. So when a howling wind blows in every time the door opens, the customer’s experience can be ruined and permanently damage the image of the premises. By protecting customers from the elements with an Airbloc commercial overdoor air curtain, proprietors will soon notice a big difference where it matters most – on their bottom line.

No matter how many times doors are opened and closed, or if doors remain open to entice custom as part of an ‘open door’ policy – Airbloc air curtains will provide an all-encompassing solution that stabilises internal temperatures, improves comfort levels and reduces environmental impact as well as running costs.

Creating hospitable environments

In the hospitality sector, a warm and welcoming atmosphere can often be the difference between success and failure for businesses. That is why they put considerable effort, time and money into creating a relaxing, comfortable environment that will keep customers happy and ensure they come back.

Successful pubs, restaurants and hotels also rely on a constant traffic of customers, opening and closing entrance doors throughout the day. Whatever time of year or the weather outside, this will affect the internal temperature as warm or chilled internal air escapes the building whilst cold or hot air external air penetrates the entrance.

By forming a barrier of air across the open doorway, Airbloc energy efficient air curtains will shield and protect the interior environment from the outside elements.

Airbloc offers an extensive range of air curtain models, including recessed, surface-mounted and can also offer ceiling tile heaters for spot heating. All units offer options which are suitable for numerous applications including both new builds and refurbishments.

The ACR recessed range can be discreetly mounted in bulkheads and above false ceilings to serve a doorway without obtruding on the eyeline or aesthetics of the entrance. The ceiling tile heater (ACT) provides effective heating by electric or hot water (LPHW), yet fits neatly into a modular t-bar ceiling tile system.

The surface mounted AC air curtain is an aesthetically pleasing new model. An innovative shape that complements contemporary interiors, it is available in RAL9010 white or metallic silver RAL9006 as standard colours, whilst any RAL colour can be ordered to blend with internal decoration. This model can also help to comply with Health and Safety regulations with the addition of an optional fire exit sign with 4 hour battery back-up. AC units can also be backlit to display company logo or venue name.

The ideal solution bar none
Airbloc’s AC model was selected for installation in the Baroosh Bar in Uxbridge High Street, a former gas showroom that is now part of the McMullan Brewery chain. The façade has been turned into an impressive two-storey glass frontage with double doors leading directly from the street.

With no lobby area to protect clients from draughts when the doors open and close, an air curtain was the practical and cost-effective solution. Delivering a powerful downward flow of air across the doorway, the air curtain prevents the influx of cold air from outside, providing useable space near the door and
increasing covers available for eating. A further option of a back and down light facility allows the name of the bar to be displayed above the doors, while spotlights and a fire exit sign facing the interior provide essential safety lighting in the event of an emergency.

A window of opportunity

In addition to the standard ACR range of recessed air curtains, Airbloc has further improved its product offering with the introduction of the ACR mini range. Designed to blend with any interior design, the smaller size makes it ideal for installation at ordering/payment booths found at drive-through restaurants.

An integral part of the modern fast food restaurant experience, the drive-through window presents an opportunity for a number of unwanted elements to penetrate the restaurant’s perimeter.  And with food hygiene a constant concern, the ACR mini air curtain will create a secure barrier against insects, dust and external air – as well as potentially dangerous exhaust fumes – to perfectly complement the air curtains installed at the building’s main entrance.

If you can’t stand the heat

Although most commonly used to separate internal and external environments, Airbloc air curtains can also be effectively used in entirely indoor applications to isolate extremes of temperature – as the kitchens of the Keswick Hotel found to its advantage.

In the heart of the Lake District, the Keswick Hotel combines all the charm of a Victorian country house with the facilities of a modern hotel. It is renowned for its cuisine and head chef Chris Lyon runs a tight ship, insisting the doorway between the kitchen and food preparation area remains clear at all times, while the temperature in the food prep room remains at a low 10°C.

With a constantly open doorway and intense heat build-up in the adjacent kitchen this could have been an impossible feat. However, an Airbloc AC1000 ambient (un-heated) overdoor air curtain was installed to counter the effects of heat from the kitchen in the cool food prep room. The unit delivers a sheet of ambient air across the entire doorway, sealing heat in the kitchen and cool air in the preparation area.

Drawing for heat loss

Whatever the application, air curtains will retain warm or conditioned air and ensure that less pressure is placed on the heating or air conditioning system. The result over time will be reduced energy consumption and lower fuel bills. If a heated air curtain is used with the Airbloc SmartElec energy control, it can be programmed to provide supplementary heated air when the doors are closed, or turned off if cooling is in progress from air conditioning, ensuring further economies are gained.

Air curtains have proven so effective at pubs, restaurants and hotels, that these businesses’ heavily trafficked doors can remain open all day with very little effect on the heating system’s energy consumption – or the comfort of customers and staff inside the building. So, with the simple installation of air curtains, businesses can stop their profits from just blowing straight out the door.