Does Keeping Your Doors Closed Save On Heating Costs In Commercial Buildings?

Gary, our Managing Director, has been looking into how we can ensure our buildings are as energy efficient as they can be. A smart meter or smart thermostat indicates the cost of heating and hot water but we’re aiming to lower the average cost of our energy bills in addition to monitoring spend across our facilities.

We all know the cost of heating has been spiralling out of control, we’re being given advice to fit draught excluders and save by turning your thermostat down even by a degree or two. With winter fast approaching, any ideas on how to spend less while also keeping both domestic and commercial properties warm could prove really helpful.

However, I wasn’t expecting this to cause some lively debate among a few of our team when I asked for their thoughts on maximising heating efficiency in all areas of our head office, which includes both office and warehouse spaces. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given what we do, the conversation quickly got around to doors, with some saying it was better to keep them shut, while others said we could actually save money leaving them open!

Now let’s be clear, just in case you think I’ve lost the plot here. We are only talking about internal doors. No one is suggesting leaving external doors open to save on heating costs. Making sure they stay closed is definitely the best policy, and a solid, well-built door that has good weather seals and a robust door closing device, will help a lot with that. There is the obvious product plug out of the way!

On internal doors in commercial premises such as ours, I decided to do a little digging and there is actually some evidence to support leaving internal doors open. However, this seems to only apply to what are known as HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems. The thinking, and I’m keeping this as short and as simple as possible, is that doors get in the way of airflow and airflow helps HVAC units work more efficiently. 

According to the Energy Saving Trust however, in general, it’s much better to close internal doors especially if you have some rooms that you don't heat, or just maintain a low temperature in. Radiators, panels, and panel convection heaters work by hot air rising and circling around and back down again. Keeping doors closed keeps this current of air in the space to prevent wasting energy, and stops cold air from getting in.

With flexible working, some office spaces may be seldom used, or storerooms accessed only once or twice a day, so keep these doors shut to keep heat in the most-used areas of the facilities you are managing. Some fire doors should always be kept closed or locked, but some fire-rated doors are deliberately held open so we’re not suggesting closing every open door you see. Security, access, and fire safety always need to be considered.

So, there is your answer - it depends. You can control your heating by controlling your doors, but the advice would be to mostly keep internal doors closed and only heat the rooms that need it. Hopefully that should keep our team happy, knowing they were all kind of right.

For all your door-closing and other door hardware needs, from people with plenty of know-how, visit our website today.

Gary Hewitt, Managing Director