Certifications & Building Codes

AMCA, NSF, & EPH Certified Air Curtains

Building Codes

Berner has AMCA certified air curtains to meet the Vestibule Exception in ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019 and the IECC Building Code!

Meet Building Codes (ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019, IECC, IgCC) for main entrances with AMCA Certified Berner Air Curtains. These codes allow AMCA Certified Air Curtains as an exception to a vestibule.

Most of our ambient air curtains have AMCA Certification; you can find more information for each air curtain in the product pages.

Main entrances – we also have the heated versions of our Architectural Collection AMCA certified to meet this vestibule exception.   For electric heat, hot water, or steam heat options, as well as ambient, see these models:

To make it easy to know if a model is viable for energy code vestibule exceptions, look for the AMCA seal on Berner Architectural and Commercial Air Curtain data sheets.

Click here to find the status of energy code adoption by state.

In addition to product innovation, Berner has been instrumental in the drive to achieve greater recognition of the air curtain, a.k.a. air door, as an important part of any building’s design.  Part of that drive has been to research and promote third-party studies on the efficacy and benefits of air curtains.  This research has led to  air curtains being included as an exception to vestibules in ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019, ASHRAE Standard 189.1, the IECC (International Energy Conservation Code) and the IgCC (International Green Construction Code) building codes.

ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Update Approved! 

Effective Fall of 2019, ASHRAE Standard 90.1, “Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low Rise Residential Buildings,” allows air curtains tested in accordance with ANSI/AMCA Standard 220 as an exception to vestibules

ASHRAE Standard 90.1,Section 5.4.3.3 Vestibules and Revolving Doors  states:

Vestibules and revolving doors shall be installed in accordance with this section. The new list of exceptions include air curtains complying with mandatory provisions and can be found in Section 10.4.5:

“Air curtain units shall be tested in accordance with ANSI/AMCA 220 or ISO 27327-1 and installed and commissioned in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure proper operation and shall have a jet velocity of not less than 6.6 feet per second (2.0 m/s) at 6.0 in (15 cm) above the floor and direction not less than 20 degrees toward the opening. Automatic controls shall be provided that will operate the air curtain with the opening and closing of the door.”

NOTE: 2 m/s is equivalent to 400 ft/min

Code Change Approved! 

2015 IECC – Code change proposal CE192-13, toward the 2015 IECC (International Energy Conservation Code) was approved at the IECC (Group B) Committee Action Hearings in Atlantic City, N.J. The code change adds air curtains as an exception to a vestibule in the section C402.4.7 Vestibules. The new code reads:

Exceptions: Vestibules are not required for the following: Item 6. Doors that have an air curtain with a minimum velocity of 2 m/s at the floor, have been tested in accordance with ANSI/AMCA 220 and installed in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. Manual or automatic controls shall be provided that will operate the air curtain with the opening and closing of the door. Air curtains and their controls shall comply with Section C408.2.3.

Code Change Approved! 

The 2012 IgCC (International Green Construction Code) states,

“Where a building entrance is required to be protected with a vestibule in accordance with the International Energy Conservation Codean air curtain tested in accordance with ANSI/AMCA 220 is permitted to be used as an alternative to separate conditioned space from the exterior.”

See page 37, Section 605.1.2.3 Air Curtains in the 2012 IgCC.

Third Party Certifications

Berner uses industry-accepted best practices and third-party certifications to verify that what we build is safe to use and does what we say it does.  Some product certifications are required as part of being in compliance with various building codes and health codes.

AMCA CERTIFIED AIR PERFORMANCE

  • AMCA (Air Movement and Control Association) International, backed by almost 80 years of experience, is the world’s leading authority in the development of the science and art of engineering as relates to air movement and air control devices.  AMCA standards are referenced by building codes all over the world.
  • Berner Air Curtains are tested in accordance with AMCA Standard 220 – Test Methods for Air Curtain Units – assuring customers that their unit will perform as stated. A unit that has not been tested and certified in accordance with AMCA Standard 220 may not be reliable or meet the performance claimed by the manufacturer. Accurate information helps you make the right decision.
  • The AMCA seal on a product’s data sheet means that AMCA has independently tested the product and certifies the published performance data for that product is accurate.
  • For AMCA’s directory of certified products, click here.

UL CERTIFICATION

  • UL is a nationally recognized testing laboratory. UL Standards for Safety help insure public safety and confidence in product. Millions of products and their components are tested to UL’s rigorous safety standards. Berner International understands the importance of UL certified products.

C-UL CERTIFICATION

  • A UL certification, the C-UL (Canada – Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.) mark appears on products for the Canadian market. The products with this type of mark have been evaluated to Canadian safety requirements, which may be somewhat different from U.S. safety requirements

NSF/EPH CERTIFICATION

  • Berner manufactures Air Curtains / Air Doors with EPH certification tested to ANSI/NSF Standard 37 for flying insect control for many food service applications. The presence of the UL/EPH Mark on food service equipment means that the equipment has been evaluated, tested, and certified by UL as meeting international commercial food equipment standards. Berner air curtains that meet ANSI/NSF Standard 37 help keep your food establishment free of insects and are noted as, “EPH Listed per NSF 37.”
  • NSF International is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to public health safety and protection of the environment.
  • NSF/ANSI Standard 37 is the certification for air curtains for entrance ways in food and food service establishments, e.g., service and customer entries, service windows, cooler and cold storage entries.
  • Many health departments, and some building codes, around the country require an EPH Listed per NSF 37 air curtain and/or some other chemical-free insect deterrent as part of being in compliance with their health and safety standards.

EPH CERTIFICATION

  • A UL certification, the UL EPH (Environmental & Public Health) mark appears on products that have been evaluated to Environmental and Public Health Standards. Berner International manufactures many products that are UL EPH certified to NSF/ANSI standard 37.

FDA RECOMMENDATIONS

  • A part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected consumer protection agencies. Stated most simply, FDA’s mission is to promote and protect the public health by helping safe and effective products reach the market in a timely way, to monitor products for continued safety after they are in use, and to help the public get the accurate, science-based information needed to improve health.
  • The FDA is the regulatory body of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
  • In the 2016 Food Establishment Plan Review Guide, the FDA recommends controlled air currents (which is what an air curtain provides) for insect control at all openings, as well as specifically recommends air curtains for loading docks and delivery doors.
  • In Chapter 6 of the 2001 Food Code put out by the FDA, Section 6-202.15 Outer Openings, Protected, properly designed and installed air curtains are specified as a method to protect openings of food establishments against the entry of flying insects.

USDA RECOMMENDATIONS

OSHA RECOMMENDATIONS – CAR EXHAUST HAZARD AT DRIVE-THRUS

  • OSHA lists employee exposure to automobile exhausts as a potential hazard. Automobile exhaust contains harmful pollutants, primarily carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide inhibits the ability of the blood to adsorb oxygen in the lungs. Inhaling high levels and concentrations can lead to poisoning. Carbon monoxide poisoning can result in headache, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, and potential heart problems, including chest pain, irregular heart beat, and cardiac arrest. OSHA recommends keeping the drive-thru window closed as much as possible. Adding a Berner Drive-Thru air curtain can protect employees when the window is open.

DOE ENERGY CONSUMPTION STANDARDS – WALK-IN COOLERS / FREEZERS

  • The DOE has issued energy consumption standards for certain walk-in cooler / walk-in freezers based on the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (HR 6, Section 312).  By protecting the interior temperature of the walk-in when the door is open, research has shown that properly sized and installed air curtains are effective at reducing the number of run times for the compressor, thus reducing energy consumption.

CANADA’S ENERGY EFFICIENCY ACT AND ENERGY REGULATIONS

CALIFORNIA LAW: HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE – HSC

  • ARTICLE 6. Vermin and Animals [114259 – 114259.5]
  • Passthrough Windows: Section 114259.2
    • Passthrough window service openings shall be limited to 216 square inches each. The service openings shall not be closer together than 18 inches. Each opening shall be provided with a solid or screened window, equipped with a self-closing device. Screening shall be at least 16 mesh per square inch. Passthrough windows of up to 432 square inches are approved if equipped with an air curtain device. The counter surface of the service openings shall be smooth and easily cleanable. (Added by Stats. 2006, Ch. 23, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2007. Operative July 1, 2007, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 23.)

 ASHRAE STANDARD 241-2023, CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS AEROSOLS

  • This ASHRAE standard, “establishes minimum requirements to reduce the risk of airborne disease transmission, such as SARS-COV-2 virus, which causes COVID19, the flu virus and other pathogens in buildings like single and multi-family homes, offices, schools and healthcare facilities.” The standard includes requirements for Infection Risk Management Mode (IMMR) and among many things, contains requirements for use of filtration and air cleaning technology, including air ionizers.

Other Sources

ASHRAE HANDBOOKS

  • Air curtains can be found in the following ASHRAE Handbooks: “HVAC Applications,” “HVAC Systems and Equipment,” and “Fundamentals.”