by Brianna Crandall — March 23, 2016—Berner International Corp., of New Castle, Pennsylvania, a manufacturer and innovator of air curtains, recently introduced the Berner Air Curtain Energy Savings Calculator, designed to be a user-friendly, online energy savings estimation tool accessible by any Web browser for quick payback calculation and air curtain selection.
According to Berner, the time-saving calculator is a powerful air curtain energy savings computational tool, incorporating air curtain selection and return-on-investment (ROI) calculations, whether the air curtain near an open door is used for temperature protection or flying insect or fume and odor control.
Berner air curtains are used with open doors or frequently opened doors to help contain heated or conditioned air, and / or to control flying insects and fumes and odors.
“When a door opens, air curtains protect indoor spaces from outside temperatures, resulting in both occupant comfort and energy savings,” said Miranda Berner, marketing director, Berner International, which was reportedly the first air curtain manufacturer to offer basic Web site energy savings calculations more than 15 years ago. “We’re excited to reintroduce this enhanced tool to illustrate that story.”
The user of the calculator gets energy savings, a 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 ROI energy savings for comparative purposes.
The program’s user-friendliness enables facilities managers, architects, consulting engineers, contractors, and Berner’s manufacturer’s 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 Web site’s mobile-friendly responsive design, which automatically resizes the program for scalable viewing use on smart phones, 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, explains Berner. Therefore, building owners will many times find more favorable air curtain energy-savings than the program’s pre-installation calculation.
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 and laboratory and field tests, adds Berner.
The Berner Air Curtain Energy Savings Calculator is available free from the company’s Web site.
