Energy efficiency in industrial and commercial facilities is a big, big deal.
In 2015, more than 31% of all energy consumed in the United States was as a result of the industrial sector. Understanding the magnitude of energy consumption that exists in both the US and Canadian industrial markets, facility managers, operations managers and the like are constantly looking for ways to save on energy costs and improve their bottom line performance at their facility.
Air Leakage is a Common Contributor to Decreased Energy Efficiency
Most commonly these titles look to things like off-hours lighting, off-hours heating and cooling practices, process heating improvements, drive power or other top line sources of energy consumption as places to improve their facilities’ energy efficiency. However, they often miss one of the most obvious issues – air leakage.
Air leakage from doors and windows in industrial and commercial facilities occurs when proper sealing measures have not been implemented to seal cracks and gaps.
So, what’s the solution? For high-volume facilities in these major sectors, there are many overhead door openings that are constantly cycling as product moves in and out of the facilities. When a trailer is backed up to the loading dock area, the door to the facility is opened, the trailer is locked in place, and the crew begins loading or unloading. Where the issue, and subsequent opportunity for savings, arises is if there is a gap between the back of the trailer and the overhead door. The following are specific issues that arise when that gap exists:
1. Gaps between trucks and the building create areas where air can leak out, significantly inflating heating and cooling costs.
2. Water, snow, dirt and debris can enter both trucks and facilities, potentially damaging product and/or in extreme cases creating an unsafe work environment.
3. Employee productivity can decline when employees are exposed to inclement weather, extreme temperatures or the myriad of other issues that arise from exposure to exterior elements.
4. The risk of unauthorized access to loading dock areas and/or trailers can mean improved chances of theft or merchandise pilferage.
Mitigating Risk & Saving Money With Dock Seals & Shelters.
In order to help industrial and commercial facilities save the costs associated with all of these issues, the simple installation of Dock Seals and/or Truck Shelters is highly recommended. Both of these products can be customized to suit your application and ensure an air tight seal.
In the above picture, you can see that the Truck Shelter covers three sides of the overhead door opening. This was a custom installation that included extended projection (36” overall) to allow for a proper seal of tailgate trailers. This is a common error in the industry as Dock Seals are typically installed in applications that receive tailgate trailers. This will lead to perimeter gaps around the overhead door opening over 12” along the entire perimeter – leading to significant air leakage.
Let Us Identify Dock Seal Inefficiencies
In our experience, many companies are happy to provide poorly installed and low quality dock seals that break down, degrade and fail to provide the protection and efficiency opportunities they could had they been done right in the first place.
To experience the savings opportunities associated with installation of proper Dock Seals and/or Truck Shelters, with industry-leading durability, give us a call or fill out the contact form and we’d be happy to provide you with a free 10-point facility inspection.
