
By CCE
Air curtain performance enhanced with adaptive settings
BuildingsBerner calls it an industry first.
Air curtain manufacturer Berner International has added adaptive settings and Building Automation and Control Network (BACnet) compatibility to the Berner Air smart controller and app platform, to better support consulting engineers’ sustainability goals.
The platform connects users to commercial buildings’ doorway air curtains via the Internet for programming, operating and monitoring purposes. While tens of thousands of North American buildings already use air curtains to protect doorways from exterior elements, insects, vehicle emissions and dirt, few have enabled building management system (BMS) and/or smartphone control.
Berner’s app-based adaptive setting, reportedly an industry first, aims to boost energy efficiency by automatically calibrating airstream performance based on the weather and temperature, as reported by an on-board Intelliswitch controller. Software algorithms determine the best volume, velocity and uniformity (VVU) balance and adjusts the air curtain’s fan speed accordingly.
The newly added BACnet communication capabilities are standard on Berner’s premium Architectural Elite 8 and 10 models and optional on all other Architectural Series air curtains when ordered with the Berner Air.