Customers are capricious creatures, and anything that makes the shopping experience uncomfortable can cause a loss of sales. For this reason, it is imperative that retailers take measures that will make the shopping experience as enjoyable as possible. A significant aspect of customer comfort comes down to the issue of climate control; if a store is too cold then customers will want to hurry home to the warm, whilst a store that’s too hot will send customers straight back out into the cool. Maintaining a comfortable climate in
store can be very difficult, especially when doors are always opening and closing letting the cold in along with the customer. “This accessibility is of course important
for these retail environments,” explains Andrew Saxon, Marketing Manager at climate control and separation specialist Biddle Air Systems, “but such ‘open door’ trading presents the issue of cold draughts and high energy costs”. One solution that Biddle Air Systems advocates for keeping customers comfortable is the use of air curtains, which are able to control the internal climate of retail stores and shopping centres so as to improve comfort levels for customers and staff, whilst reducing energy use. “Without an air curtain, heat will
naturally escape from an open door. Because of natural convection, warm air will spill out of the top, being replaced by cold air coming in at the bottom,” explains Saxon. “Ideal for any frequently used entrance, air curtains can be successfully used to minimise the amount of cold air entering the building, whilst keeping the warm air inside”. Air curtains work by minimising natural convection, providing a continuous stream
www.a1retailmagazine.com
Above: Peter Terry, Head of Maintenance at John Lewis Partnership and Waitrose, has formally opened WR Refrigeration’s new HFO/HC/CO2 European Training Academy at Minworth, near Birmingham.
Below: Biddle Air Systems’ diagrams show how the use of an air curtain can minimse the amount of cold air entering a store.
of air that is then circulated across a doorway serving a conditioned space. Incoming cold air is conditioned to reach a temperature of around 2025°C, with warm air being derived from various sources such as direct electric heating and low, medium and high pressured hot water. The use of an air curtain may seem to some as additional consumption of energy, but this is not necessarily the truth, as Saxon explains: “If designed, sized and installed correctly an air curtain will save energy. It’s estimated that an average double doorway could be losing as much as 32kW of energy every hour, and at 10p per kWh this can equate up to £7,000 worth of energy each year. By installing an air curtain, wastage can be cut by up to 70%”. Another company spearheading the use
of air curtains is Thermoscreens, who has just recently announced the launch of the HP DXE Heat Pump air curtain in collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric. By developing the product together, the two companies believe that they have created a solution that offers even greater energy and carbon savings, easier installation, servicing and maintenance and lower noise levels. The product joins the existing PHV DXE
range, and has been developed with the specific intention of reducing energy usage. Graham Cree, UK Sales Manager at
Thermoscreens, explains; “Conventional air curtains lower energy usage, as they reduce the amount of heating required, but adding a heat pump to the system can significantly increase the savings. We launched a heat pump air curtain four years ago in partnership with Mitsubishi Electric, and both companies have been working hard to develop a product that can achieve even greater savings.” In order to further control energy usage, the HP DXE Heat Pump air curtain offers comprehensive, enhanced control options that include weather compensation as standard on ‘Mr Slim’ models. This offers significant energy and carbon savings, and the team believes that the payback period can be reduced to less than two years. One retailer that is taking the development of environmentally responsible climate control seriously is the John Lewis Partnership, who is investing in the creation of environmentally responsible refridgeration and air conditioning for stores, having previously won awards for their high efficiency platform. Moving one step further, Peter Terry, Head of Maintenance at John Lewis Partnership and Waitrose, has formally opened WR Refrigeration’s new HFO/HC/CO2
29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84