Low energy warehouse

Temperature controlled warehouses are under particular pressure to reduce their carbon footprint, but the benefits of running an energy efficient operation extend far beyond being seen to be green.

As a result, industrial door manufacturer and loading bay specialist Hörmann believes that the frozen and chilled sector has been leading the way in adopting the latest technologies.

For cold stores, doors and loading areas are a critical element, due to the potential heat losses and added energy costs that inefficient systems can quickly and easily create. Vastly improving thermal performance by making greater use of fast action doors and better loading bay insulation is a wise investment that will provide long-term gain for many businesses across a multitude of sectors.

Over the last few years, Hörmann has worked closely with industrial real estate owners and tenants to help minimise the environmental impact of their sites, while meeting the demands of increasingly busy industrial food operations among the big supermarket chains. As well as the specific characteristics of individual components, understanding how the combinations chosen affect operational activity and safety is an important part of the planning process. 

Taking the view that there is no standard solution enables Hörmann to accelerate its research and development programme. Each year the company launches a number of new products and services, many aimed at reducing energy losses.

An example of this is Hörmann’s latest steel sectional door. The Thermo 67 benefits from 67mm thick polyurethane-filled panels with built-in thermal breaks at the joins, to provide top levels of insulation. Hörmann designed this sectional door to replace its popular DPU door, which was an industry standard for freezer bays, until now. The Thermo 67 is now lighter and more compact, meaning it requires less energy to operate.

With the potential for up to 15 per cent better insulation, this door (among others) can be fitted with Hörmann’s specially designed ThermoFrame, which creates a thermal break between the doorframe and the building. Hörmann has also integrated the world’s first wicket door with thermal break to this range, meaning both practical and energy efficiency requirements can be met with just one door.

Some of the most recently talked about additions to Hörmann’s product range (that will be available later this year) came from the unveiling of its new industrial doors at the BAU 2015 trade show.

Among the key industrial items to be introduced is a new high-end motion detector and monitoring technology, called Scanprotect. With a robust, weather-proof design, the system is ideal for external use, and enables fast and targeted door automation. Laser technology means the Scanprotect is suitable for use with almost any ground surface, while a special ‘teach-in’ function enables the monitoring system to recognise permanent objects within its scanning area.

Designed for use in chilled areas or low energy warehouses, three new insulated panels for Hörmann’s high-speed sectional doors are also due to be released shortly. The 42mm and 67mm thick panels include built-in thermal breaks to help reduce heat losses. They will be available for installation in a wide range of the manufacturer’s spiral and speed sectional doors, offering impressive U-values of 0.9 W/(m2K) and 0.33 W/(m2K) respectively. New 100mm thick panels, providing an exceptional U-value of just 0.24 W/(m2K), will also be on offer for the ISO Speed Cold door, so watch this space for UK launch updates.

In addition to high demand for more energy efficient products, Hörmann has seen its service and maintenance division grow significantly over the last 12 months. Led by service manager Phillip Clark, the department has won a number of new contracts to maintain doors and loading bay equipment.

Many temperature-controlled operations are seeing the value of such preventative maintenance packages in reducing unnecessary energy losses, as well as minimising downtime and preventing expensive emergency call-outs. For these types of businesses, malfunctioning doors can lead to spoilt goods and expensive energy losses, which can ultimately end in both damaged reputation and profits. 

These packages enable the arrangement of regular checks to ensure doors and bays continue to operate effectively at all times, and that highly experienced personnel are available for emergency call-outs, should the worst happen.