Berner International Corp. has recently introduced the Berner Air Curtain Energy Savings Calculator, a user-friendly, online energy savings estimation tool accessible by any web browser for quick payback calculation and air curtain selection.
The time-saving energy-savings calculator is a powerful air curtain energy savings computational tool in the industry because it also incorporates air curtain selection and return-on-investment calculations. Thus, the user gets energy savings, payback in years, and an air curtain model choice, all automatically calculated and saved to a URL for revisits, sharing with colleagues, or making client presentations. Each calculation allows for the comparison of two or more Berner air curtain models’ effectiveness ratings and ROI energy savings for comparative purposes.
User- And Mobile-Friendly
The program’s user-friendliness enables facility managers, architects, consulting engineers, contractors, and Berner’s manufacturers’ representatives to input door dimensions, use times, local energy rates, and other data. Users can choose between National Weather Data (BIN Data) and associated utility rates or manually enter their own weather data. Users can manually select an air curtain model or use the embedded air curtain selector program.
Another feature is the Berner website’s mobile-friendly responsive design, which automatically resizes the program for scalable viewing use on smartphones, tablets, conference room screens, or any other web-browser capable device.
The final energy savings estimate is typically a conservative number because the program applies penalized energy scenarios for mounting height, building opening location, and wind resistance ability. Therefore, building owners will many times find more favorable air curtain energy savings than the program’s pre-installation calculation.
Air curtain efficiency
Developed in-house throughout 2015 by Berner’s engineering, marketing, and sales departments, the program is based on loads calculated from generalized customer input, TMY2 weather data, and ASHRAE calculations. The air curtain efficiency used to determine the payback period is based on generally accepted theory, laboratory and field tests.
Other program benefits are:
- Inputs are easily revised by reopening the URL and changing input data or using a different air curtain model.
- Inquiries are sent confidentially to the location’s respective manufacturer’s representative for sales follow up.
- Includes a wide variety of drill-down opening selections ranging from exterior to interior doorways and walk-in cooler/freezers. Doorway types range from food service, hospitality, education, healthcare and retail to industrial dock doors.
While the program is ideal for energy savings calculations, it doesn’t account for the many other benefits of air curtains offers, such as protecting occupant comfort and the infiltration of flying insects, dirt, fumes, cigarette smoke for optimum indoor air quality and air comfort.
