Revolving Door - the Access Solution for Lower Energy Bills for Large Buildings
We are all keeping an eye on energy bills during this period when prices, both for gas and electricity, have risen exponentially. For administrators of large buildings, whether they are office headquarters or shopping centers, a constant concern is reducing consumption while maintaining comfort conditions for those who work or transit these buildings.
The concern for the energy efficiency of buildings existed even before the rise in energy prices, with a focus especially on sustainability and resource protection, thus protecting the planet.
Choosing the Right Door and its Impact on Air Exchange between Interior and Exterior
Beyond ensuring good insulation of the building from the construction phase, optimally sizing heating and cooling systems, another concern should be controlling the airflow between interior and exterior, which often occurs through the opening and closing of the building’s access door.
Choosing the right door, considering: the size of the building, the expected flow of people using the access area, architectural and design elements, the possibility of safely evacuating people in case of emergency, will also translate into the energy bill.
A study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 2000s showed that using a revolving door for building access could save 14.6 tons of carbon annually, equivalent to the emissions for energy consumption that would heat 5 households for an entire year or power a light bulb for a period of 29 years!
How can a simple door influence energy consumption so significantly?
The Revolving Door Reduces Energy Consumption
Going back in time a bit, we find that the first revolving door was patented in Germany in 1881 by H. Bockhacker. He named it TurohneLuftzug, which translates to “the door that does not allow air currents.” The design of the revolving door invented by Bockhacker eliminates air currents that usually occur when a door is opened. In fact, the way the revolving door operates and opens is the basis of the energy savings we are discussing.
When a door opens, the so-called “chimney effect” occurs. This happens because warm air is less dense than cold air. During winter, when someone opens a swing door, cold and dense air enters the building and pushes the warm air upwards. The warm air moves to the upper part of the building where it is likely to be lost through less insulated areas in the ceiling. Thus, heating becomes inefficient. During summer, the cold, conditioned air is at the extremity of the building. When someone opens a door in that area, the air will immediately exit outside.
The MIT study showed that a revolving door allows 8 times less air transfer between interior and exterior compared to a swing door. This translates into high energy costs, considering how many times a door can be opened in a building.
The average traffic in a large office building can lead to air exchanges between interior and exterior of up to 850 m³/minute.
In the case of the building analyzed in the MIT study, researchers found that if every person who entered or exited the building had used a revolving door, over 75,000 kWh could have been saved, approximately 1.5% of the total needed to heat or cool the building, and it would have prevented the production of a significant amount (14.6 tons of CO2, considering a vehicle produces approximately 6 tons of CO2 emissions annually).
This energy saving means, on one hand, reducing carbon emissions and, in the current context, savings on the energy bill, given the evolution of prices in this sector, which burdens many businesses.
The revolving door is, therefore, a handy solution for saving money on the energy bill and protecting the planet, offering comfort and safety to those who use it daily.
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