Berner International, New Castle, Pa., has received product performance certifications by the Air Movement & Control Association–International (AMCA), Arlington Heights, Ill., for heating options on two of its architectural air curtain series.
While Berner has offered AMCA-certified ambient models for decades, now specifying engineers have both heated and unheated options when selecting models to comply with the International Energy Conservation Code’s (IECC) Section C402.4.7, building code which allows AMCA-certified air curtains as exceptions to entrance vestibules.
AMCA tested Berner’s Architectural High Performance 10 and Architectural Recessed 12 Series under its Standard 220 for steam, hot water and electric coil heating options.
“AMCA believes that products should be tested and published per engineering standards and rating requirements,” says Nazme Mohsina, associate director of certification, AMCA International. “With AMCA-certified products, engineers can have confidence that manufacturers’ ratings are accurate, and that the catalog data are formatted to facilitate product comparisons across manufacturers.”
While Berner air curtains prevent outdoor temperature, dust and flying insect infiltration, the certified heating additions reassure specifiers that Berner’s air curtains enhance occupant air comfort in cold weather situations. Berner’s wall-mounted and recessed architectural units are mechanical air devices designed to separate outdoor/indoor environments. Air curtains are used at door openings in lobbies, welcome areas and other front-of-house areas in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, hospitals and other buildings to keep people comfortable and save energy.
Berner was instrumental in helping AMCA push through building code International Energy Conservation Code’s (IECC) Section C402.4.7, the recent vestibule exception allowance. Substituting commercial building vestibules with air curtains, which is also allowed by the International Code Council’s (ICC) International Green Building Code (IgCC), potentially saves building owners tens of thousands of dollars in new construction costs while also freeing up more useful square footage.
While other manufacturers offer AMCA certification on a limited number of electric heated models, Berner offers steam and hot water coil heating options in addition to its patented VTH Venturi-style electric heater. Introduced and patented by Berner in 2010, the VTH is an electric heater. It uses the Venturi effect to draw air through the heating element via the blower inlet before it enters the discharge airstream. This results in an unobstructed, near 100-percent efficient full laminar airstream discharge velocity with efficiency improvements of up to 40 percent versus heating coils placed in the discharge.
“By adding AMCA certified heated options to our designer air curtains, engineers have more choices in how they both meet the IECC building code regarding main entrances and provide comfort to the space around the door,” says Georgia Berner, president, who helped establish the 62-year-old, not-for-profit AMCA as a third-party testing resource for air curtains in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.