New curtain combines energy saving with comfort and protection to offer 67% reduction in costs and emissions
A remarkable new heat pump air curtain that offers a 67 per cent reduction in both CO2 emissions and running costs over conventional direct electric models has been developed to offer retail, hotel and commercial buildings a highly efficient way of providing a comfortable climate for customers and staff without compromising on performance.
 The PHV DX range of air curtains has been developed in a collaboration between Thermoscreens, the market-leading manufacturer of high quality air curtain solutions and leading environmental control manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric. The eight models in the range link to a Mr Slim R410a outdoor heat pump compressor unit which uses advanced inverter technology to cut energy wastage and offer more flexibility of design and placement.
Air curtains have long been used to ensure the busy entrances of commercial buildings do not suffer dramatic heating or cooling loss every time the door is opened. They have also allowed high street retailers to operate an open door policy without compromising on comfort.
The use of air curtains is set to grow as the building services industry looks for ways to combat the challenge of providing levels of internal comfort that legislation demands whilst minimising energy consumption, whether in the height of summer or the depths of winter.
Air curtains also help promote open door trading in retail outlets by providing uninterrupted access for passing trade and offer significant energy savings compared to those without such a system.
"Thermoscreens have pioneered the use of air curtains across Europe and with this collaboration, we have taken our superior heat pump technology and utilised its ability to minimise the energy consumed by the air curtain," said Jason Tinsley, Product and Technical Marketing Manager at Mitsubishi Electric.
Heat pumps are movers of heat energy and upgrade naturally occurring low temperature heat from the surrounding outdoor air into useful high temperature heat which can then be used to reduce the primary fuel consumption of mechanical equipment.
As heat pumps require less than a third of the power of an equivalent direct electric heated air curtain, they are considerably cheaper to run. The use of this advanced heat pump technology places the new DX air curtain range ahead of anything else on the market and also dramatically shortens the payback period to 2.2 years over direct electric models.
The range is available as either free-standing or recessed models and is supplied with a stand alone remote controller. The air curtain can also be connected to a building's energy management system (BEMS) using an optional interface. The controller offers either a 50 or 100% heat output and an auto mode, where the air curtain is controlled up to a selected room temperature saving further energy and helping ensure a lobby does not overheat.
Both Thermoscreens and Mitsubishi Electric are responding to a growing market for highly efficient equipment that delivers exceptional performance in the most energy efficient way possible.
The two companies have long been pioneers in their respective industries with all Thermoscreens air curtains offering the Ecopower control system as standard to ensure consistent comfort levels by automatically adjusting heat output against temperature settings.
Mitsubishi Electric has developed the most advanced range of inverter-driven split-type heat pump and VRF air conditioning available and has also been leading the industry with its Green Gateway Initiative - a bold and ambitious 10-part plan which points the way towards a reduction of 3 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2016.
Further details can be found at www.greengatewayinitiative.co.uk.
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