Clearview National March 2015 - Issue 160 | Page 34
DOORS&WINDOWS
Commercial Thermally Broken
Doors... Are they the future?
»»“Thermally Broken
Doors; are they the future of
commercial automatic doors
or are they just a sales fad?”
asks Del Thomas, Director of
Global Automatics...
“It has been well noted that
the main reason for specifying
thermally broken aluminium
is for heat or cooling retention
inside buildings to reduce the
amount of energy used.
Architects and designers
are increasingly concerned
with future shortages in
energy-resources, enlarging
world population, and
environmental changes. It’s
only natural that we are
now looking for efficient
buildings and that includes
our commercial doors with
automatic operators.”
So what is thermally
broken and why
will it help?
“Economically and
environmentally, thermal control
within any establishment is an
important factor when choosing
entranceways.
Aluminium is an ideal material
for constructing doors as it is
extremely robust, light and
durable. However, aluminium
is also a great conductor of heat
which means that, on its own, it
delivers poor insulation against
the winter weather and provides
little protection from the heat.
Nevertheless, a thermally
broken aluminium door
instantaneously solves this
insulation problem by using a
thermal break, also known as a
thermal barrier.
According to the English
Building Regulations (Approved
Document L-1B, 2010 edition)
all doors require a U-Value (heat
loss value) of 1.8 W/m2 .K.
Thermally broken aluminium
doors remain as strong as other
aluminium doors and can still
be powder coated. They are used
to separate two heat-conducting
resources, as they do not conduct
any heat. Thermal breaks act
as a barrier to prevent heat
transferring between them. In the
case of our thermally broken unit,
the temperature from inside the
building remains in the property
and vice versa with the outdoor
temperature.
Therefore, thermally broken
aluminium doors play an
important role in the protection
of insulation and energy
efficiency, thus saving the use
of thermal energy and heating
costs. As a result of this, Global
Automatics will be focusing on
Energy Efficient Systems over the
next 3 years.
We have tried our upmost to
verify any data used in this article
but cannot confirm its accuracy
in entirety. Environmental Energy
efficiency is a fascinating subject
and we implore you to fully
research this yourself for a fuller
understanding.”
*Diagram from: http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil
Specialist Manufacture & Supply of
the Highest Quality Fixings to the
Glass, Sign & Fit-out Industries
Dedicated to providing our customers
with the best possible practical
solution for their application.
• Drilled & Tapped Screws
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Mushroom Coverheads
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Tel: 01843 593 440 | E: [email protected] | www.fkmoore.co.uk
F K Moore Limited, 5 Wilton Road, Haine Industrial Park, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 5HD
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