Many facility owners don't realize that they're losing energy efficiency through leakage from old, underperforming doors. Specialized high-performance doors use a combination of insulation and controlled speed to protect against air infiltration. One of the main ways to determine energy efficiency savings is to understand heat load and calculate the heat loss from an old door. 

The experts at Cookson have put together this quick-start guide to help you calculate possible energy loss. 

What Is Heat Load?

The heat load is the recipe for the total heat removed by the cooling system in a facility. The calculation comes from several factors, including building materials, the number of windows and their size, electronics, insulation and more. Professionals measure the load in British thermal units (BTU). Each BTU is equal to around 1055 joules and gets its definition from the amount of energy it takes to heat or cool a single pound of water by one degree.

A door with improper insulation can lead to a significant loss of the service load of a building. It's essential to examine your door and consider whether it's costing you more than it should due to heat loss. 

How Do You Calculate Heat Loss From a Door?

You can figure out energy loss through doors by performing a mathematical equation that measures service load. Service load refers to air infiltration sources like cracks and the energy generated or lost from equipment, lights, number of people in the building, and even hot or cold air that enters or exits your building when someone opens a door. This service load calculation will help you to place a high-quality estimate on how much money you lose through a door. This can also help you determine if an investment in a new door would be worthwhile.

The calculation is as follows: 0.10 x (HC + Hourly FH + HR) = SL Btu/hr.

How High-Performance Doors Can Benefit Your Facility

Energy management is key to protecting products and saving money. Depending on the season and setup, the right high-performance door can protect the service load by preventing the hot or cold air from escaping your facility. 

There are several benefits from selecting the perfect high-performance door for a facility, including: 

• Reduced energy loss: High-performance doors come with an energy-efficient design with features like high R-value insulation. 
• Increased energy savings: Less outside air infiltrating the facility can reduce demand and extend the life of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC).
• Enhanced opening and closing time: High-performance doors close faster to help prevent a quick change in room temperature.
• Lower air exchange: The sides and bottoms of high-performance doors come with tight-fitting seals to stop air exchange between different facility areas. 

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Cookson believes that one of the most effective ways to save money is to reduce waste, and energy loss is no exception. For over 100 years, we've been building doors that create solutions for designers and facility owners. Our high-performance doors can help any facility control interior environment temperature.

Want to learn more? Reach out to us online through our quick contact form or find a local dealer for your door safety solution today.

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