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Feb. 8, 2016 — Berner International Corp., of New Castle, Pa., a manufacturer and innovator of air curtains, has 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, which is available free at www.berner.com, is a powerful air curtain energy savings computational tool, incorporating air curtain selection and return-on-investment (ROI) calculations.
Thus, the user 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 and ROI energy savings for comparative purposes.
The program's user-friendliness enables facility 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 website'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.
"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 the first air curtain manufacturer to offer basic website energy savings calculations more than 15 years ago. "We're excited to reintroduce this enhanced tool to illustrate that story."
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.
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.
