Show waste the door
February 1st 2008

When it comes to efficient energy output management, simply specifying the correct doors for the job could make a world of difference. Alan Jenkins, commercial director for Hörmann UK's industrial division, explains what to look out for when choosing the right door for your needs

Energy efficiency has become a major factor to consider when specifying equipment and materials for any building, whether it is an office block, a warehouse or a large distribution centre.

Not addressing the issue of thermal efficiency could not only contribute to the worldwide carbon emissions problem, but it can result in a serious waste of money.

It costs money to heat a building or maintain certain temperatures when handling temperature sensitive goods, such as in a chiller store. There are distribution centres and warehouses in the UK that span over hundreds of thousands of square feet. If you are letting your energy seep out from every door opening and loading bay, you are looking at potentially huge sums of money literally floating out of the door.

There are numerous factors to consider when choosing a door and the most fundamental pieces of technical data and figures to take into account with regards to energy efficiency, are the thermal insulation properties and resultant Uvalues.

U-values U-values are the measure of the amount of heat that is lost through the building envelope. The higher the thermal insulation, the higher the ability of the door to keep heat inside and in cases of cold storage, the ability to keep heat out. This results in lower levels of energy loss and a better or lower U-value.

One example of a highly thermal efficient door is Hörmann's DPU sectional.

Each section of the door comprises doubleskinned steel sections filled with 80mm of polyurethane foam which provides increased levels of thermal insulation and a U-value of up to 0.7 W/m2.

Door opening and closing speeds is another factor to consider when specifying a door. The principal behind this is simple; the more time the door is open, the more energy is able to escape. There are various doors and curtains on the market which can open and close at speeds of up to 3m/sec and this can contribute significantly to the reduction of energy loss.

The handling of temperature sensitive goods is especially tricky for companies as not maintaining optimum temperatures could not only lead to energy escaping, but the possibility of spoiled goods and a resultant loss of time and money.

The Hörmann high-speed range includes the ISO-SPEED cold door, which is an example of a door that combines high speed with high levels of thermal insulation. It is able to open at up to 2.5m/sec and the 80mm thick insulted panels offer a U-value of 0.3 W/m2, the perfect combination for cold storage areas and the smooth transfer of materials with minimum loss of energy and temperature.

On the flip side of the coin is the amount of energy it takes to operate state of the art high speed, thermally efficient doors.

Manufacturers aim to lower the energy requirements of all doors as much as possible in order to further offset the carbon emissions and overall energy usage.

Technical detail However, any door manufacturer worth their salt should be able to specify a technically detailed package specifically suited to the client's needs. This includes type of door, opening speeds, type of control system and any accessories that may be needed. It is only when all these factors are taken into account that one can assess the viability of a particular door package.

With so much emphasis placed on reducing carbon emissions and conserving energy the entire handling and distribution industry is taking steps to ensure their products meet increasingly demanding criteria.

Quality engineering, high levels of service and a competitive price are still very high on the agenda of potential clients and that may well still get you a large chunk of business. Take those selling points and throw in some of the lowest U-values on the market and excellent thermal insulation properties, and I think you will find your brand rising to the top of the supplier pile.

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