Air Curtains

Are Air Curtains Covered by Lot 20 Laws?

Many people don’t realise this, but air curtains are part of the new Lot 20 legislation. It makes sense – they are still electric heaters – but because they’re usually tucked out of sight above a doorway, most people don’t think of them that way. Air curtains are classed as regular fixed electric heaters, which means they have exactly the same efficiency targets as a wall-mountable panel heater (if you’re not sure what these targets are, check out our Lot 20 guide here).

What Your Air Curtain Needs

Your air curtain needs to have an accurate digital thermostat, a 24/7 programmable timer, and one other energy-saving feature (plus the mandatory Lot 20 certificate) to be compliant. Usually, this feature is just a remote control, but it can also be an adaptive start function or an open door detection setting. If your over door heater has more than one of these features, then it goes above and beyond, and will save you even more money.

Open Door and Window Detection in Air Curtains

Open door (or open window) detection works by monitoring the room temperature. When a door is left open, warmth escapes, which causes a sudden and sustained drop in temperature. The heater senses this drop and switches itself off to avoid wasting energy on heating up a draughty room.

You might think that this doesn’t really work with an air curtain – the whole point of them is to greet you with a bank of cosy air as soon as you open a door. However, the blast of warm air forms a sort of barrier that stops warmth escaping for a short while. This delays the sustained drop in temperature that causes the heater to switch off, so it isn’t an issue if the door closes behind you. It’s only when the door is left often for a longer period of time that the temperature drops enough to shut the heater down, striking a balance between efficiency and practicality.

Air Curtains for Business

Over door heaters are most popular with businesses – especially customer-facing businesses – as they’re a good way to make a great first impression on any customers who might step through the door. They’re also useful for offices and warehouses for much the same reason!

Traditionally, air curtains were loud, ugly things that either took up a lot of space or needed a lot of complex wiring to install inside a wall. The modern designs on this page, however, don’t have either of these problems. We stock a selection of compact, modern over door heaters that are designed to complement any business décor. We also make sure they’re easy to fit and use, so we only stock user-friendly plug-and-go models. This means you won’t have to disrupt your business with invasive electrical work.

Air Curtains for Home Use

Air curtains aren’t just good for businesses, you can use them at home, too! They’re really useful in conservatories or other rooms with lower ceilings as they can help prevent draughts from blowing through the gaps in your door frame. They’ll also ensure a nice, cosy warm air flow starts to circulate around your room just like a normal panel heater. However, as they’re mounted high up on the wall, they won’t take up any floor space, so they’re good for smaller rooms.