Are air curtains controlled mechanical ventilation systems?

The primary objective of air curtains is to create an invisible barrier that separates the indoor environment of a room from the outside. Thanks to this solution, we prevent the entry of insects and, above all, the loss of cold and heat when installed over a door or window. But can they really be considered controlled mechanical ventilation systems? In this article, we will answer this question, as it generates many doubts among users.

Air Curtains

An air curtain is, in essence, a stream of air emitted in a single direction by a device. By doing so, it covers the full height and width of a specific opening, generally a door or window. This effect reduces the levels of heat or cold transfer from the interior to the exterior, as well as infiltration.

Operation

As we have already said, air curtains create a kind of barrier between the interior of the home and one of its openings. Although aesthetically they resemble the split of an air conditioning system, their operation is completely different.

The device, once placed over the door or window, takes air from the environment and compresses it through a series of fans. It then directs it towards the outlet grill (oriented towards the opening) and expels it forcefully to ensure the isolation of the interior from the exterior.

For their part, air curtains can operate continuously or, alternatively, be manually activated by remote control. The most modern and efficient models are equipped with sensors that cause them to activate when the environmental conditions require it.

Advantages of Air Curtains

Among the main advantages of air curtains, we must highlight the following:

• They help save energy. They allow the reduction of the use of air conditioning devices in the home or commercial premises in which they are installed.
• They improve the sense of thermal comfort. They provide the possibility to more easily control the indoor temperature.
• They are very quiet, so they do not disturb the users of the property.
• They act as a protective barrier against smoke, insects, allergenic particles such as pollen, bad odors, and general pollution.

Controlled Mechanical Ventilation Systems

Controlled mechanical ventilation systems (VMC) are devices that are integrated into buildings or homes. Their purpose is to force the extraction of stale air from the interior and renew it in order to improve what users breathe.

These systems can be of simple flow, which causes thermal imbalances inside, or of double flow. Since the latter maintain air temperature very efficiently, they are considered the most efficient option. In this sense, the heat recovery function is essential.

We wanted to present this definition for a very simple reason: to more easily understand why air curtains are not controlled mechanical ventilation systems. To be so, it would be necessary for them to extract stale air from the interior and replace it with renewed air, but they do not do this. A key characteristic since, as we have seen, both technologies share certain elements.

In short, although air curtains can be valuable resources for energy efficiency in our home or commercial premises, they are not considered controlled mechanical ventilation systems. For this reason, whenever possible, it is preferable to opt for the latter. After all, these devices ensure higher quality air at all times and maintain the air at the appropriate temperature more simply and effectively.