AIR CURTAIN GROUP - MEMBERS     

The aim of the Air Curtain Suppliers Group

To endorse the use of air curtain technology in saving overall building energy consumption and promoting carbon reduction, also to provide comfort conditions at doorways and other openings, produce technical standards and generate information for potential customers and specifiers.

NEW July 2011 - issue 2 of the Air Curtain Guide now available to download.

The problem of doorway entrances

Doorway entrances are associated with a loss of energy because of air exchange across the opening resulting from temperature differences between the inside and outside, wind pressure and induced draughts from building stack effect. Some retail outlets operate an open-door policy whilst others actively oppose this strategy. Even when a closed door policy is endorsed, once there is more than a certain amount of pedestrian traffic the entrance effectively becomes open and significant energy losses occur. (See figure below).

Another problem with doorway entrances can be that of comfort conditions being compromised, particularly for employees and people that work in the vicinity of the doorway entrance, although conditions further into the building can also be affected.

A doorway solution

Air curtains are intended to reduce or eliminate air exchange and infiltration at entrances whether the doorway is open or closed. They are also designed to condition air that may still enter the doorway so as to provide comfort for occupants, particularly near the entrance. (See figure below).

Activities

The Air Curtain Suppliers Group is actively involved in a wide range of technical and promotional aspects of air curtain technology.

The Group produce information documentation for the home market promoting energy saving, carbon reduction, the correct specification of equipment and installation and service good practice.

Members participate in the development of international standards including representation on ISO standards Committee TC117 where they are engaged in research on aerodynamic, acoustic and energy effectiveness related work.

The Group has links to various other bodies that have influence on the air curtain market including AMCA, Eurovent, the European Commission and air curtain trade groups in other countries. These links ensure the Group are well informed about forthcoming legislation, regulations or other trends that could have an affect on the UK air curtain market.

Most Group members have registered BS EN ISO9000 – Quality Management Systems and BS EN ISO 14000 Environmental Management Systems.

Current Documents

Air Curtain Guide (Issue 2) – a general guide to air curtains, produced by the Group. Revised in December 2010
Air Curtain Guide - 5.2MB

Cold Store Air Curtain Guide – a guide to the use of air curtains used in chilled and cold store environments for the food industry, produced by the Group.
Cold Store Air Curtain Guide - 2.2MB

BS ISO 27327-1: 2009 Fans – air curtain units, Part 1: Laboratory methods of testing for aerodynamic performance rating – including measurements of air volume flow rate, air velocity projection, air velocity uniformity and fan energy.
Can be purchased from BSI On-line

Work or documents currently in the process of development

• HEVAC - Air Curtain Fact Sheet
• Draft BS ISO 27327-2 standard for the acoustic testing of air curtains
• Proposed BS ISO 27327-3 standard for the testing of air curtains to measure energy effectiveness at a doorway
• ECA application with the Carbon Trust - currently awaiting work on BS ISO 27327-3 to take this forward

Questions relating to air curtain technology

If you have any questions please first refer to our Air Curtain Guide or our Cold Store Air Curtain Guide that can be viewed and downloaded from this website. If this does not answer your query please then Email your questions to aircurtain@feta.co.uk.  We will endeavour to respond to any general or technical questions, but please note we cannot answer questions that are specific to a particular aircurtain manufacturer or supplier.

The list of members is available from this link or at the top of the page

Last updated 7July 2011

We can be contacted at our Registered Office:
Federation of Environmental Trade Associations Ltd
2 Waltham Court, Milley Lane, Hare Hatch, Reading, Berkshire, RG10 9TH United Kingdom
Tel No: + 44 (0)118 940 3416 - Fax No: + 44 (0)118 940 6258
E-mail: info @ feta.co.uk