Energy Management Starts at the Door: Tackling the Hidden Cost of Air Infiltration

Smart buildings are becoming increasingly sophisticated at monitoring and managing energy use, from intelligent HVAC controls and sensors to building management systems and demand-led operation. But one of the most significant sources of energy loss can remain largely unmanaged: the building entrance.

Doors are essential for accessibility, movement and day-to-day operation, but in busy commercial buildings, frequent door openings and open-door policies can create a significant pathway for uncontrolled air infiltration. Conditioned air is lost, external air enters, heating and cooling systems work harder, and the area around the entrance can become uncomfortable for occupants.

This session will explore why entrances should be considered as part of a building's wider energy-management strategy. It will examine the relationship between air infiltration, energy consumption, thermal comfort and indoor air quality, and consider the technologies and strategies available to manage these challenges.

Using examples from retail, supermarkets, healthcare and commercial buildings, the session will look at how smarter entrance management can reduce energy demand while improving occupant comfort and making previously uncomfortable or underused areas around entrances more usable. It will also explore how responsive, sensor-led technologies can complement wider building controls and energy-management strategies, rather than treating the entrance as an isolated part of the building.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the session, attendees will:

• Understand how air infiltration at building entrances can affect energy consumption, heating and cooling demand and overall building performance, particularly in buildings with high footfall or frequently open doors.

• Recognise the relationship between entrance performance, energy management and occupant experience, including the impact of uncontrolled external air on thermal comfort, indoor air quality and the usability of spaces close to entrances.

• Understand the different approaches available to manage air infiltration, from building design and operational strategies through to active, sensor-led entrance technologies.

• Learn how responsive entrance management can complement existing HVAC and building-management strategies, using real-time environmental conditions to help reduce unnecessary energy use rather than relying on fixed-output systems.

• Identify opportunities to improve the performance of existing buildings without compromising accessibility or operational requirements, particularly where open-door policies, high footfall or constrained entrance spaces make conventional approaches less effective.