Whether your Main Street resembles a 1950s postcard with tree-lined streets, blue skies, and bustling businesses, or a more modern take with coffee shops, drive-thrus, and boutique retailers, a few principles remain the same.
- Open doors mean open for business
- People shopping and spending money is a good thing
- Flies, cold winter air, and humid summer air detract from the customer experience
One advantage today’s shop owners have is the ease with which they can combat flying insects and unconditioned outside air. Air curtains offer a four-season solution that helps shop owners save on energy costs, block flying insects, and ensure a more comfortable and inviting environment for patrons.
Let’s take a closer look at the benefits an air curtain provides for small business owners.
- Flying Insect Control – Restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, convenience stores, or any shop with food on the shelves are prime targets for flies drawn in by enticing aromas. Each time the door opens, flies are often the first to enter and “shop around.” A key benefit of an air curtain is the barrier of air it creates—allowing unobstructed access for customers while remaining impassable to flying insects. Powered Aire air curtains are engineered with plenums that produce a more uniform, consistent air barrier across the entire opening. Many competing brands do not utilize plenums, which can lead to dead spots where flying insects can slip through and gain access.
- Energy Savings and Quick Return on Investment – A key, and often overlooked, benefit of an air curtain is its ability to deliver meaningful energy savings by reducing the load on the HVAC system. By limiting the infiltration of unconditioned outside air—whether hot and humid in summer or frigid in winter—the HVAC system operates more efficiently. Instead of constantly compensating for temperature losses caused by door openings, the system can maintain indoor comfort with less energy, resulting in lower operating costs and a faster return on investment. In many cases, a properly installed air curtain can have a payback period of less than two years. Check out our Energy Savings Calculator for a more detailed analysis based on your application and region.
- A More Pleasant Environment for Employees and Patrons – Another core benefit of an air curtain is its ability to create a more pleasant environment for workers and customers alike. By eliminating flies and unwanted outdoor air, the shop’s interior becomes more inviting. This can positively impact employee morale and encourage customers to stay longer and spend more!
- No Vestibule, No Problem - Vestibules, common in both large and small buildings, are intended to create a buffer zone between unconditioned outdoor air and a conditioned interior space. In theory, the first door closes before the second door opens. In practice—especially in busy or poorly designed facilities—both doors are often open at the same time, significantly reducing the vestibule’s effectiveness. Additionally, vestibules consume valuable floor space. Powered Aire offers vestibule-exception air curtains that are code-approved to replace vestibules in certain climate zones. Rather than investing in a costly, space-consuming vestibule, a low-profile air curtain delivers superior performance with lower maintenance requirements and greater overall cost savings. Eliminating the vestibule also frees up usable floor space—space that can be repurposed for retail sales or other revenue-generating uses.
For smaller, single-door applications, Powered Aire offers a variety of air curtains—both heated and unheated—to fit the style, application, and budget. In-ceiling air curtains are recessed into the ceiling, providing the traditional benefits of an air curtain while remaining hidden from sight except for the discharge grille. Vestibule-exception air curtains, like the EVE, are available in a variety of finishes to complement a store’s design elements without sacrificing performance. Drive-thru and low-profile air curtains are also viable options.
To find the right air curtain for your application, check out our Air Curtain Selector or contact Powered Aire at info@PoweredAire.com